{
  "id": 2170102,
  "title": "University suspends academic behind Jason Arday plagiarism charges",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/university-suspends-academic-behind-jason-arday-plagiarism-charges",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T16:08:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/news/world/2026-08-20-university-suspends-academic-behind-jason-arday-plagiarism-charges/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Thursday, Ghent University in Belgium suspended a US researcher named Nathan Cofnas who had accused former Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism. Cofnas, who previously worked at Cambridge and was dismissed in 2024, discovered numerous instances of plagiarism in Arday's work. Cofnas announced his suspension via X, expressing his belief that he would be fired. Ghent University launched a preliminary disciplinary investigation against Cofnas, suspending him as a precautionary measure. Arday, who died at his London home last week, had resigned in August after the plagiarism allegations gained widespread media attention. The professor disputed the allegations and claimed he had reached the limits of what any person should endure. Arday's family has blamed a misinformation campaign for the controversy surrounding the plagiarism accusations.",
  "summary": "Amidst a plagiarism scandal, Ghent University suspends Nathan Cofnas, the academic whose accusations against Jason Arday have sparked widespread media attention and controversy.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "Academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/academic-who-accused-jason-arday-of-plagiarism-suspended",
        "published": "2026-08-20T16:01:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended by university",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/academic-who-accused-jason-arday-of-plagiarism-suspended-by-university",
        "published": "2026-08-20T16:40:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Nathan Cofnas, academic behind Jason Arday plagiarism accusations, suspended from post",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/nathan-cofnas-academic-behind-jason-arday-plagiarism-accusations",
        "published": "2026-08-20T17:16:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Toronto Sun",
        "title": "University suspends academic behind Jason Arday plagiarism charges",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/university-suspends-academic-behind-jason-arday-plagiarism-charges-2185379",
        "published": "2026-08-20T17:25:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}