Jason Arday found dead today.

LemonJam

Galaxy

I find the hostility to the press, or rather the press we dont like, terrifying. It comes from both sides and is frightening.

Crikey! That's terrifying. That infers the press can be hostile in its reporting and no member of the public is allowed to protest.

What about Leveson?

Galaxy

I find the hostility to the press, or rather the press we dont like, terrifying. It comes from both sides and is frightening.

Crikey! That's terrifying. That infers the press can be hostile in its reporting and no member of the public is allowed to protest.

mum2three

I hope lessons will be learned. From what I can discern he was chosen because of this diversity thing. Perhaps this will teach people to think twice in future about exactly what the consequences might be.

I absolutely agree 👍and do hope lessons will be learned.

It does appear (investigation outcome to come in due course hopefully) that Cambridge University somewhat delighted in recruiting Arday as a young Black professor and encouraged media attention and promoted his appointment in a 'poster boy' type way. Whether or not they provided Arday with media training is also a key issue to safeguard him. In the NHS for example- anyone that may have exposure/dealings with national or local media in their role must receive media training. It is evident, that someone who is autistic with Arday's known health conditions, as the youngest Cambridge black professor ever is vulnerable and absolutely needed media training.

If Arday was chosen on a DEI basis rather than checked and verified skills and knowledge basis that would have made Arday even more vulnerable and exposed.

That should absolutely not set back recruitment of black academics in prestigious roles however. The learning would be to improve and strengthen recruitment and selection processes and ensure robust induction, professional development and safeguarding processes are in place also as black professors, we now know, face intense media scrutiny.

Such organisation systems and processes should be in place for all students and academics in university of course, regardless of skin colour. Cambridge Universities are enormously £rich and can afford it- at the end of the day also to protect its own brand.

Aveline

Very much a side issue but a young member of my family achieved 4A*s and so got into Cambridge this week. A very clever girl. Sadly, now people just laugh and say, 'Anyone can get into Cambridge these days'.

I dont know if the University will have done long term damage to itself, or not.

So did the journalist who tried to report the ardy story, who was reported to the police bring it on himself.

Yes i live in a constant state of fear.
It is the suggestions of control of the press that i find concerning, except only the press on the other side. Deeply divisive.

I don’t, they have brought it on themselves if they sensationalise stories, exaggerate facts, misrepresent, or lie, for copy. I respect media which reports responsibly, whichever side of the political fence it sits on.

Galaxy

I find the hostility to the press, or rather the press we dont like, terrifying. It comes from both sides and is frightening.

😄 I’ve never met anyone who finds so much “terrifying”

There has always been hostility towards the press, the same as there is hostility from the press.

That’s life

I find the hostility to the press, or rather the press we dont like, terrifying. It comes from both sides and is frightening.

25Avalon 10.50-

This is a thread on a post called 'Jason Arday found dead today'. Such a death understandably stirs up feelings and emotions. Moderate means keeping within reasonable limits. and avoiding extremes. I have not noticed any posts outside of reasonable limits, or extreme.

Nobody is 'blasting' but that is a word that can be fairly attributed elsewhere. Many posters on this thread are upset about how Arday was treated and expressing their reasons why whcih is allowed. Expressing their views in a similar way no doubt to all the vast numbers of the public vigorously protesting and making complaints to The Telegraph, Daily Mail et al. In a similar way to the statement released by Arday's family, that expressed their anger.

Trying to suppress people voicing their feelings to newspapers or on this thread I suggest would not be healthy.

Lastly and most importantly- it's a shame there were so many front page aggressive blasting headlines about Arday, day after day. e.g. The Daily Mail explicitly and repeatedly branding Jason Arday as 'the plagiarism professor'.

Good to hear that you feel though that now, after Jason Arday's death, Sarah Vine has now published an article that finally now contains a more balanced perspective.

The press was not moderate

Lathyrus3

Whitewavemark2

This case has primarily everything to do with a the massive axe being ground by a eugenicist who was sacked by Cambridge. The rest is incidental.

Do you really think the issues that have been revealed about Cambridge’s recruitment policies are incidental. Or their handling of concerns. Or their whole operation actually.

The Vice Chancellor doesn’t think so. She has ordered two separate enquiries and her statement publically acknowledged that things have gone very wrong but that there have been issues for years before her appointment that she is determined to tackle now.

I don’t think the simplistic approach of blaming one person for all that has gone wrong will benefit anyone.

There are two issues here.

The first is what you are talking about which is due process and diligence, which may or may not have gone wrong.

That as far as I am concerned is an internal matter which we may assume will be sorted.

The second is the underlying beliefs of an individual, who tipped off the media regarding Professor Jarday.

That is my concern, and what will not be going away very soon. There is nothing simplistic about scientific racism and its implications.

I hope lessons will be learned. From what I can discern he was chosen because of this diversity thing. Perhaps this will teach people to think twice in future about exactly what the consequences might be.

LemonJam

WWM2 10.45- Well Cafnas must be delighted at how his claim was picked up, run with and how reported by the press and the amount of attention while he managed to avoid any scrutiny whatsoever by said journalists.

His aim to keep black people out of academia may or may not come to pass. Let's hope he does not succeed as a result of this tragic affair.

The amount of support he gets can be judged by the media.

I find I incredibly sad, 8 decades since the “final solution” and 8 decades of what was hoped to be academic process in the understanding of eugenics. Even the genome research appears to have made little difference.

Cambridge sacked Cofnas, but the media welcomes him with open arms.

Whitewavemark2

This case has primarily everything to do with a the massive axe being ground by a eugenicist who was sacked by Cambridge. The rest is incidental.

Do you really think the issues that have been revealed about Cambridge’s recruitment policies are incidental. Or their handling of concerns. Or their whole operation actually.

The Vice Chancellor doesn’t think so. She has ordered two separate enquiries and her statement publically acknowledged that things have gone very wrong but that there have been issues for years before her appointment that she is determined to tackle now.

I don’t think the simplistic approach of blaming one person for all that has gone wrong will benefit anyone.

WWM2 10.45- Well Cafnas must be delighted at how his claim was picked up, run with and how reported by the press and the amount of attention while he managed to avoid any scrutiny whatsoever by said journalists.

His aim to keep black people out of academia may or may not come to pass. Let's hope he does not succeed as a result of this tragic affair.

Interesting article by Sarah Vine in The DM. Gives a more balanced perspective but I don’t expect some of the more strident posters on here to see that and they will stick to their guns blasting the rest of us who are more moderate.

An environment.

I would say there have been concerns about universities for about a decade now, often from those within them. I read an interesting analysis from a black professor from harvard on what he faced in terms of identity politics. I attended a russell group uni ( and left personal reasons nothing to do with quality of course) but I visited the same university recently and had concerns about the identity politics obsession, I wondered what room there was for debate. However someone close to me has recently finished at a non russell group uni and that appears to have been excellent, and environment where a range of views were encouraged, on very difficult emotive subjects.

This case is about Arday and what he faced- not the many other people who sadly commit suicide for their particular reasons in their particular different circumstances. That's perhaps a different post.

Loved ones left behind will always be impacted- how can they not be? It must be devastating and shocking to be told of their loved ones suicide. For Arday's family there is also anger- at how he was treated and in their view racially abused; they have voiced this as have very many members of the public to the varying newspapers in question. Clearly not everyone holds the same view as we can see in this thread- but the family is entitled to their view.

Yes the Samaritans does a sterling job- we have no idea whether Arday made contact or not- it would always be kept confidential.

This case has primarily everything to do with a the massive axe being ground by a eugenicist who was sacked by Cambridge. The rest is incidental.

His Family has been impacted by his death, and they think the cause was the continued racial abuse.

WWM13- I agree. This case has nothing to do with the value of a degree obtained at a Cambridge University whatsoever. A Cambridge degree form any of the many Cambridge Universities will continue to be valued at home and abroad this week, next year and for many years to come.

This case involved Cambridge University Recruitment and Selection processes, the university approach to DEI, the university safeguarding processes, treating all Cambridge Professors accused of Plagiarism or any other concern in exactly the same way regardless of the colour of their skin and journalists being fair, even handed, balanced, proportionate and investigate and report on all claims about University professors regarding plagiarism or any other concern in exactly the same way regardless of the colour of their skin.

There also should be guardrails in place for journalism when it is obvious the subject/target of their story is vulnerable.

And about who may be impacted when people attribute suicide in this way.

Just spotted on Facebook, a collage of the constant harassment he got from The Spectator.

Galaxy

Well I would have thought it might be useful to listen to the samaritans on suicide but presumably not.

I can't be bothered to argue because that's all some people want.

It's not about us.

It's about that poor guy and his family.