UK: Police Investigated Journalist Who Questioned Cambridge Professor in Plagiarism Row
Was this a waste of police resources or the result of malicious attacks by the right-wing press?
Above: New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police, pictured in 2025. Image credit: Andrew Aitchison/In pictures/Getty Images
The Spin
Right narrative
It is unacceptable that a reporter doing his job and simply asking questions was placed under police investigation. While wasting their time on this, police routinely say they don't have the resources necessary to investigate burglaries and other crimes. They even had the cheek of telling the reporter to not contact Arday again because it could impact his mental health.
Left narrative
People need to stand with Arday, who is being subjected to sustained and malicious attacks by the right-wing press. The universities involved in the plagiarism allegations looked into them and found no grounds for disciplinary action. Nonetheless, in an attempt to undermine Black people who hold positions of influence, the attacks persist.