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New York Mag fires Mamdani-loving writer Ross Barkan for 67 instances of ripping off other authors

Nypost · 🇮🇱 public Israel · · 467 words · By Alexandra Steigrad
Journalistic Integrity Political Bias
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What to know about Journalistic Integrity

New York Mag fires Mamdani-loving writer Ross Barkan for 67 instances of ripping off other authors See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 3
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

New York Mag fires Mamdani-loving writer Ross Barkan for 67 instances of ripping off other authors See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google New York Magazine has fired lefty political writer Ross Barkan, one of the biggest boosters of Mayor Zohran Mamdani in NYC journalism, for ripping off other authors’ work a shocking 67 times.

Common ground

Prior to becoming mayor, Mamdani served as campaign manager for Barkan’s failed state senate campaign, a fact the writer frequently mentioned on his Substack and other platforms.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Guilt by Association: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/media/new-york-mag-fires-mamdani-loving-writer-ros…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Guilt by Association 70% confidence
Discrediting an idea by linking it to a disliked group or person.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing guilt by association helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
help Insufficient Evidence 1
info Single Source 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “he has a forthcoming book on Mamdani, who was Barkan’s campaign manager in his 2018 run for a Brooklyn seat in the New York State Senate.”
CORROBORATED
The fact that Mamdani was Barkan's campaign manager in his 2018 run for a State Senate seat is corroborated by the New York Post. The mention of a forthcoming book is implied by the context of the claims, though the specific 'forthcoming' status is less explicitly detailed in the snippets than the campaign manager role.
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web search NEUTRAL — The writer, Ross Barkan, was accused by reporters and online sleuths of plagiarizing work and failing to credit other journalists, triggering reviews of his writing for New York magazine, Gothamist, T…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/19/business/media/ross-barka…
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web search NEUTRAL — Mamdani was Barkan’s campaign manager in his 2018 run for a Queens seat in the New York State Senate.(Robert Miller) Robert Miller for NY Post.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/media/new-york-mag-fires-mamda…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ross Barkan is a partisan for a healthy American electoral system—his political imagination and career both depend upon it. The New York magazine columnist, who’s had stints at The Guardian and The Vi…
https://newrepublic.com/article/198066/fascism-genocide-book…
help
Claim 2: “I am, at a more considered pace, writing a new column for The Nation”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny that Ross Barkan is currently writing a new column for The Nation.
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Claim 3: “Prior to becoming mayor, Mamdani served as campaign manager for Barkan’s failed state senate campaign”
CORROBORATED
The claim that Zohran Mamdani served as Barkan's campaign manager in 2018 is corroborated by a report from the New York Post. While Wikipedia mentions Mamdani was a campaign manager for Khader El-Yateem, the specific link to Barkan's 2018 run is reported in the news results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zohran Mamdani is the 112th mayor of New York City, having served since January 1, 2026. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani was elected mayor in the 202…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayoralty_of_Zohran_Mamdani
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ross Elliot Barkan (born October 22, 1989) is an American journalist, novelist, and essayist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Barkan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician who has served since 2026 as the 112th mayor of New York City. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohran_Mamdani
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “New York Magazine... launched a review of Barkan’s work after a Washington Post reporter noticed striking similarities between the lead of one of his stories and the lead Barkan wrote about the same subject in May.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While multiple sources confirm that New York Magazine conducted a review and that Barkan was fired for plagiarism, the specific detail that a 'Washington Post reporter' noticed similarities in the lead of a story is not explicitly corroborated across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An election for the mayor of New York City was held on November 4, 2025. Democratic state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the election with 50.78% of the vote, defeating Republican activist Curtis Sliw…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_City_mayoral_ele…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Daily News is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the Illustrated Daily News. It was the first U.S. daily …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Daily_News
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ross Elliot Barkan (born October 22, 1989) is an American journalist, novelist, and essayist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Barkan
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “His writing career includes bylines in the New York Times, and both fiction and non-fiction books.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Verso Books and other web results, confirm Barkan has written for the New York Times and has authored both fiction and non-fiction books.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Barkan has published fiction in Post Road, Boston College's literary magazine,[26][27] and literary criticism in the Iowa Review,[28] Harvard Review,[29] The Rumpus,[30] and The Brooklyn Rail.[31]. Hi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Barkan
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — New York Magazine stated that the 67 columns “did not include proper attribution of language, information and/or sourcing” and that it is updating the affected articles.Barkan has written for The New …
https://discernreport.com/mamdani-fanboy-ross-barkan-dumped-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Ross Barkan is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. His journalism and essays have appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, GQ, and the Columb…
https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/authors/barkan-ross
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Claim 6: “New York Magazine has fired lefty political writer Ross Barkan”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources, including a report from AOL and a news snippet mentioning the New York Post, confirm that New York Magazine fired Ross Barkan.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An election for the mayor of New York City was held on November 4, 2025. Democratic state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the election with 50.78% of the vote, defeating Republican activist Curtis Sliw…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_City_mayoral_ele…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) is a civil rights law that is embodied in Title 8 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York. The law is enforced by the New York City Commission on…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Human_Rights_Law
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ross Elliot Barkan (born October 22, 1989) is an American journalist, novelist, and essayist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Barkan
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 7: “calling the mayor’s 2025 election victory “seismic” in The Nation.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly confirms that Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City mayoral election with 50.78% of the vote.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician who has served since 2026 as the 112th mayor of New York City. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohran_Mamdani
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rama Sawaf Duwaji (born June 30, 1997) is an American animator, illustrator, and ceramist. As the wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, she has been the first lady of New York City since January 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama_Duwaji
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zohran Mamdani is the 112th mayor of New York City, having served since January 1, 2026. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani was elected mayor in the 202…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayoralty_of_Zohran_Mamdani
+ 2 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “New York Magazine... found 67 Barkan columns “that did not include proper attribution of language, information and/or sourcing.””
CORROBORATED
The specific number of 67 columns lacking proper attribution is reported by multiple sources, including a report citing the New York Post and another news article regarding Barkan's apology.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Clay Schuette Felker (October 2, 1925 – July 1, 2008) was an American magazine editor and journalist who co-founded New York magazine in 1968 and California magazine (first known as New West) in 1976.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Felker
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American choreographer, director, and producer, who was active in both theatre and film. He was known for his work on Broadway as a choreogra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Ross
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ross Elliot Barkan (born October 22, 1989) is an American journalist, novelist, and essayist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Barkan
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 9: “After the Washington Post writer first blew the whistle on Barkan, NPR unearthed additional plagiarism allegations”
CORROBORATED
Both a cross-reference from the NY Post and a web search result from AOL confirm that NPR unearthed additional plagiarism allegations against Barkan.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ross Elliot Barkan is an American journalist, novelist, and essayist.In response to the allegations of plagiarism, New York Magazine edited Barkan's story and announced that it would conduct a review …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Barkan
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web search NEUTRAL — Ross Barkan was fired by New York Magazine on Friday following a probe into his work. Youtube/The Honest Broker.As NPR unearthed additional plagiarism allegations — drawing an angry denial from Barkan…
https://www.aol.com/articles/nation-may-next-lefty-outlet-20…
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web search NEUTRAL — Ross Barkan apologized again for plagiarism on X and announced plans to take some "time away" after New York Magazine severed ties with the former writer.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ex-new-york-magazine-writer-an…
+ 1 more evidence source
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.