Ghent University suspends researcher over plagiarism claims against late professor

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Ghent University suspends researcher over plagiarism claims against…?

Of the 21 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 14% are rated left, 24% are rated centre, 62% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 29. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is Ghent University suspends researcher over plagiarism claims against… left or right?

Neither side dominates it. Of the 21 rated outlets on this story, 14% are rated left, 24% are rated centre, 62% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.

Is the coverage of Ghent University suspends researcher over plagiarism claims against… biased?

Ghent University suspends researcher over plagiarism claims against late professor is one event reported by 29 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting Ghent University suspends researcher over plagiarism claims against…?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered Ghent University suspends researcher over plagiarism claims against…?

29 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

Why was Nathan Cofnas suspended by Ghent University?

Ghent University suspended US researcher Nathan Cofnas as a precautionary measure and part of a preliminary disciplinary investigation. This followed Cofnas's plagiarism allegations against the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday.

What was the US Ambassador's reaction to the suspension?

US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White condemned Ghent University's decision, calling it retaliation against an American scholar for whistleblower reporting on academic fraud. Washington stated it was reviewing its relationships with the university.

Who was Jason Arday?

Jason Arday was a professor of educational sociology at Cambridge University. He died on August 5, and police have stated his death is not considered suspicious. He was the subject of plagiarism allegations made by Nathan Cofnas.