Enough is enough. The press must be held accountable

The recent death of Dr. Jason Arday, the youngest black person to ever become a Cambridge professor has, yet again, highlighted the issues others have towards people of colour.

In case you have not heard, this is what happened: a few weeks ago, the media reported that Dr. Arday had allegedly plagiarised some of his writings and made false claims about his life. This should have been looked into by the university, his employer, following due process and respecting the people involved. That’s how it works when similar accusations are done against other academics. Instead, the press made a big scandal. It amplified racist and prejudiced voices in and out of academia, all while blaming Dr. Arday for the existence and growth of those same racist views and prejudices. This is particularly aggravating when considering that Dr. Arday was a professor of sociology of education, whose publications explore the realities of racism in the UK.

Shortly after Cambridge announced an investigation into his appointment, Dr. Arday resigned. The press did not stop the attacks. Just nine days later, on 14 August, he was found dead due to suicide.

Following this devastating news, many academics have come out to point at how white professors accused of similar issues have not been harassed by the press. In many occasions, in fact, they walk away without facing any consequence at all.

This is the main argument of the petition being pushed by the Good Law Project, a non-profit that brings together legal action, investigations and campaigning to fight against hate and spread hope. The petition, directed at the UK Prime Minister and the UK Secretary of Culture, demands and immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press. You don't have to be a British national in order to sign.

This week, I talked on my website about the importance of organising against the rising threats to equality and human rights. One of the members of the Ella Baker School of Organising, which is the entity offering training across the UK to achieve just that, knew Dr. Arday personally, and vouched for his character in a message directed to the entire network.

There was also a vigil in Trafalgar Square, which you can watch on YouTube to learn more about Dr. Arday: