Jason Arday found dead today.

Lathyrus3

Thank you. Could you please confirm and make clear that you are posting about Dr William Riley of Cambridge University in Great Britain and none other because these are serious accusations/incidents.

See earlier post- already confirmed. I have made no accusations I have posted facts as reported in the Varsity and Guardian newspapers - as detailed.

Jason Ardy may also have remained in post.

You are making a point that doesn’t exist.

He may have indeed- we will sadly never know- the investigation had not concluded.

I don’t understand your reluctance to make sure that an innocent man is not conflated with the Dr William O’Reilly I think you are posting about.

I’m only asking you to prevent something I’m sure you wouldn’t want to happen.

It not about defending yourself. Just making clear what could cause confusion.

I've done my best to answer questions you've raised about my posts so far Lathyrus 16.32 but I don't understand what you are asking from me now- sorry.

If you quote a particular post and say what about my post you disagree with or take issue that may be clearer.

This is obviously not the outcome anyone or any institution wanted. But - does that mean from now on no one should be investigated or brought to book for being dishonest or deceiving to get a post they are not qualified for? He made some wild claims eg took part in the programme UpSeven which was impossible., ran a number of marathons including one with a broken leg. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

I was asking you to make clear which Dr William O’Reilly you are posting about.

So that nobody confuses them.

I didn’t realise it would be such a difficult thing to do. I could do it but then I would be making an assumption about which one on your behalf.

Lathyrus3

I was asking you to make clear which Dr William O’Reilly you are posting about.

So that nobody confuses them.

I didn’t realise it would be such a difficult thing to do. I could do it but then I would be making an assumption about which one on your behalf.

Sounds like this is something that LemonJam really should clear up.
I don’t buy the ‘it’s all racist’ stuff around the Jason Arday case, not at all.
I think we can all agree that he had a tragic end and that Cambridge University have a case to answer.

He was vilified by the press , academia, his university and even those on here who didn’t even know him or the facts surrounding the nasty attacks on him! An awful end for him after enduring the last few weeks ! His family must be beyond devastated !

LemonJam

I think so too greyfur16- Mumsnet posters linked the difference in treatment of Dr William O'Reilly (white) in comparison to Arday.

O'Reilly was a don, a senior Tutor and in charge of student welfare.

In 2015 he self published a sexually charged novel about academics watching students having sex, under a pseudonym.

At one stage he appointed other dons to form panels to 'investigate student rape claims' (Isn't that the job of the police for goodness sake) and various concerns were raised about his conduct. 210 students signed a letter criticising the history faculty for failing to investigate O'Reilly's conduct. He finally stepped down in February 2020 and simply went to work at another university.

In 2023 he was accused of earlier plagiarism, lifting almost word for word from two essays of 2 of his students publishing under his own name. He resorted to legal threats to Varsity to try and stop publication. The university upheld plagiarism but he stayed in post.

Treated very differently by the British press.

God, that makes me sick to my stomach. Imagine if your daughter/son had him as a tutor.

The late teen years can be a challenging time without creatures like this in the mix.

Lathyrus3

I was asking you to make clear which Dr William O’Reilly you are posting about.

So that nobody confuses them.

I didn’t realise it would be such a difficult thing to do. I could do it but then I would be making an assumption about which one on your behalf.

The Dr William O'Reilly the Guardian and Variety newspaper reported on that was found to be guilty of plagiarising in Cambridge University. Is there is another Dr William O'Reilly found guilty of plagiarism at Cambridge University that the Guardian and Varsity newspaper reported on?

I agree Susieq62 and greyfur16 17.11.

It was important to name the right man, which I believe is what Lathyrus3 was making a point about.
Having looked him up, he was accused of plagiarism by a student or two students for copying 12 pages of their work.I can find no mention of a sex book or anything else so far.

But in any case this has nothing to do with the JA case and was brought up as a bit of whataboutery.

Plunger

This is obviously not the outcome anyone or any institution wanted. But - does that mean from now on no one should be investigated or brought to book for being dishonest or deceiving to get a post they are not qualified for? He made some wild claims eg took part in the programme UpSeven which was impossible., ran a number of marathons including one with a broken leg. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

You can be sure that there will be a lot of journalists who will back off even when theres absolute proof that the work has been stolen, because that’s what it is, theft.

For instance, there can be few if any Cambridge professors who have got their position as a young man having a degree from John Moores University, a former polytechnic.
I blame the Cambridge panel who appointed him knowing full well that he wasn’t up to the job but it ticked a box and got them kudos.He could have had a great life in sports education.

"This is obviously not the outcome anyone or any institution wanted. But - does that mean from now on no one should be investigated or brought to book for being dishonest or deceiving to get a post they are not qualified for?" Plunger

Absolutely not what anyone is suggesting. However, if you read any of the reports in the press both here and abroad there is an emphasis on Arday's colour and the role of DEI in his selection and retention at Cambridge. My suspicion is that had he been a white academic, the story would have been a filler on a day short on news, not front page as it was for several days. I looked at the Washington post this morning and his death was one of the first reports that I saw, it is also one of the "top stories" on CNN. His story was also featured in France24 and by Reuters. I could list more but I won't.

Oreo

But in any case this has nothing to do with the JA case and was brought up as a bit of whataboutery.

Oh dear, If you can't see that 2 people accused of ( in some ways) similar things are connected then really?

Anyway that poor man has died, his family must be beyond distraught.

Not whataboutery. It's essential to look for parallels and see what different responses to them have been.

Nothing, nothing happens socially or politically in isolation.

I know that plagiarism, both deliberate and sometimes unintentional is rife in the world of academia and sometimes in the fiction and non fiction world of books.
This case is different since investigative journalism has brought up so many outlandish claims and casts doubt on the academic and other integrity matters in it.Quite honestly I have never heard anything like it.

Oreo

It was important to name the right man, which I believe is what Lathyrus3 was making a point about.
Having looked him up, he was accused of plagiarism by a student or two students for copying 12 pages of their work.I can find no mention of a sex book or anything else so far.

I am being asked to verify every single thing I'm posting about a certain Cambridge don, Dr O'Reilly in case another Dr William O'Reilly (of whom I'm not aware of and Lathyrus has not provided any information) is wrongly accused of something. This level of scrutiny in the context that race realist Nathan Cafnas made a claim in the media of plagiarism about Arday and then what followed before it was properly investigated is ironic.

I can't find my original source as I was not filing but hopefully this will satisfy your appetite for the importance of truth - as you see it:

AI Overview

Dr. William O’Reilly, an associate professor of early modern history at the University of Cambridge, reportedly self-published a sexually charged novel under a pseudonym in 2015.

The Pseudonymous Book Controversy

The Subject Matter The novel centres around academics who engage in watching university students having sex.
The Connection The existence of the pseudonymous book emerged publicly in February 2020 amid widespread scrutiny regarding how the administration at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, managed student safety and historical sexual misconduct allegations.
*The Consequence*: Following the public revelation of the book and unrelated pushback regarding his administrative handling of past student complaints, Dr. O'Reilly voluntarily and temporarily stepped back from his active teaching and supervisory responsibilities at the university.

Official Academic Works Under His Real Name

When writing under his real identity as a professional historian, Dr. O’Reilly's recognised publications focus heavily on migration history and the history of early modern Europe:

Selling Souls: Trafficking German Migrants in Europe and America
The Phoenix and the Eagle: Catalan Political Economy and the Habsburg Monarchy of Charles III/VI

Note: The name of the specific fiction pen name and the exact title of the 2015 novel were kept strictly anonymous in national press reports—such as those by The Guardian—due to privacy protocols and legal constraints surrounding the university’s internal procedure

All references included on the A1 summary online.

Read Nathan Cofnas - that will tell you all you need to know, as well as stuff you don’t need to know.

Dr William O'Reilly was litigious and the press duly respected his privacy both in respect of his controversial book- the complaints that so many students had made about his conduct book all other aspects of his life. The plagiarism was found proved, reported and everyone moved on - quickly.

Arday was quite simply treated differently.

Read the guardian it will tell you all you need to know. There was also another academic who raised the alarm.