Lord Simon Woolley, Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge, has called for a formal investigation into the media treatment of late Professor Jason Arday, accusing sections of the British press of subjecting him to what he described as a “horrendous, toxic, vicious witch hunt” before his death.
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Woolley said Arday told friends just days before he died that he felt “hounded to death” and could see no way out of the intense scrutiny surrounding allegations over his academic work and qualifications.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House on Sunday, Woolley disclosed that he met Arday on Monday alongside close friends, including Labour MP Diane Abbott and photographer and activist Misan Harriman.
“He said he felt hounded to death, his words. And he couldn’t see a way out,” Woolley said.
He described Arday as being in a deeply distressed state during the meeting.
“On that day we saw a man half his body weight and desperate beyond belief,” he said.
According to Woolley, Abbott held Arday’s hand and assured him that those around him would help him through the crisis.
Woolley said the scrutiny directed at the Cambridge academic had gone beyond legitimate examination of academic concerns and had become a “blood sport.”
“It was a blood sport,” he said. “This wonderful big-hearted young man never stole a bag of crisps.”
He acknowledged that universities must investigate allegations of plagiarism and research misconduct where legitimate concerns arise, but maintained that the treatment of Arday had moved far beyond normal academic scrutiny.
“Academia always has to be rigorous in rooting out plagiarism and falsehoods,” Woolley said.
“This was not rigour, this has been a blood sport, literally a blood sport.”
Arday, 41, was pronounced dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday after resigning from his position as Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge amid intense public controversy over his academic work and qualifications.
Liverpool John Moores University, where Arday completed his PhD, had investigated allegations against him and cleared him of wrongdoing. Arday had denied plagiarism.
Cambridge University subsequently began its own investigation into questions surrounding his academic qualifications and was separately considering complaints alleging academic misconduct.
Woolley argued that other academics had faced accusations and even findings of plagiarism without being subjected to the same level of public scrutiny.
“There are a number of individuals who have all been subject to accusations and findings of plagiarism, not one of them has been subject to the degree Jason Arday has,” he said.
He also raised concerns about race and the wider treatment of Black academics in Britain, saying the controversy had fed suggestions that Black academics were beneficiaries of diversity initiatives rather than merit.
“You also have to understand the whole of the Black community and Black academics are being brought into this debate as though we don’t belong in these positions because we are, collectively, the diversity, equity and inclusion hires,” Woolley said.
He insisted that Black academics were not receiving special treatment in gaining positions at elite institutions.
“Black people are not given any special favours in entering these hallowed institutions,” he said.
Woolley pointed to the small number of Black professors at Cambridge, saying fewer than 0.5 per cent of the university’s 975 professors were Black.
Arday’s appointment had been widely celebrated when he became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor, with his journey into academia after significant educational challenges making him one of Britain’s most prominent Black academics.
In the weeks before his death, however, public attention shifted heavily towards allegations concerning his academic record and qualifications.
Woolley had earlier joined politicians, academics and public figures in signing an open letter organised by the Good Law Project in support of Arday.
The letter alleged that Arday had been subjected to “two weeks of harassment” and called for an “immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press.”
Signatories included Green Party leader Zack Polanski, Labour MPs Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Clive Lewis and Nadia Whittome, National Education Union General Secretary Daniel Kebede and broadcaster Carol Vorderman.
Campaigners are also reportedly coordinating complaints to media organisations over aspects of the coverage.
Woolley’s latest account has intensified calls for scrutiny because it provides a direct description of Arday’s state of mind only days before his death.
However, no official finding has established that media coverage caused Arday’s death, and Woolley’s comments represent his assessment of the treatment the professor received.
Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice has expressed her condolences to Arday’s family and loved ones.
Andy Burnham also called for a “moment of reflection” following the death, while remarks attributed to the Prime Minister described the development as “a tragedy on so many levels” and cautioned against rushing to judgment.
“It’s not a moment for any rushing to judgment,” the Prime Minister said. “It’s a moment for reflection, I would say, reflecting on how things came to this.”
Woolley, however, said reflection should be followed by formal scrutiny of the media itself.
“We need an investigation into the media onslaught, the vicious media onslaught,” he said.
He maintained that coverage involving academics, particularly Black academics and members of minority communities, must meet higher standards of accuracy, proportionality and respect.
Arday is survived by his wife and two children. His family has remembered him as a “gentle man” and an “amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son.”
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