30,000 sign letter calling for public inquiry into media coverage before Cambridge professor's death

More than 30,000 people have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister demanding a public inquiry into the media coverage that preceded the death of Jason Arday, the prominent Black academic who was found dead after stepping down from his Cambridge University role amid a plagiarism controversy.

The letter

Signatories include Labour MP Diane Abbott and actress Jameela Jamil. The letter, organised by the Good Law Project — which had been representing Arday — states that his death "followed two weeks of relentless harassment" by sections of the media. The Good Law Project said many of its signatories had previously warned media outlets about the intensity and nature of their coverage.

Lord Woolley, the principal of Homerton College, Cambridge, described the coverage as a "vicious witch hunt." The Prime Minister has described Arday's death as a "tragedy on so many levels."

Background

Jason Arday had been a professor at Cambridge, where he was a high-profile advocate for widening participation in higher education. He stepped down from his role after questions were raised about alleged plagiarism in his academic work. The circumstances of his death are being investigated.

The Good Law Project and other advocacy groups are calling for scrutiny of how the press conducted their investigation and whether the coverage crossed ethical lines in reporting on a case still under internal review by the university.