Jason Arday dead

[ThisWiseRobin]

Just putting this out there, but just heared.A sad end to a whole sorry mess.

Whether he caused harm depends on whether you acknowledge there may have been a more qualified candidate for his job who didn’t lie, and whether his accusations of racism when challenged were harmful or not.

30 years ago we might have heard about this once on the news, read it again in a newspaper, discussed it with our friend/partner 'How shocking!' and the world moved on.

The person involved would have seen the headlines, had some difficult conversations at work and with people they knew, would have undoubtedly felt shame and regret but could effectively retreat to home and lick their (albeit self-influlicted) wounds and rebuild.

30 years on there's no escape. Everyone's got an opinion and they will broadcast it with no filter that this is a real person who is going through a really public humiliation & undoubtedly feels like shit. Endless clickbait articles, non-stop banging on about whatever latest thing which will make everyone angry & resentful - throwing individuals into the 2026 lions den, literally to harvest views and clicks.
It's very black mirror.

My thoughts go to his family.

I checked the mail online because I assumed this would be the main headline news given how much attention they’ve given the story. But it’s just a minor story with the comments disabled!

Not at all. He appears to have conned others into a position of authority. I agree. He’s not the first nor the last man to do so. He did stand out at Cambridge by being black though. Hence the right wing press going for him until he may have committed suicide.

I've actually not read any Daily Mail articles on him.

everyone could have expected this

Absolutely. They don’t want the comments on this one. Cowards

I wish I could like this a million times

Same!

Let’s just think about how many upper class white men have bluffed and lied their way into positions of power….

As an academic of >20yrs, there is nothing that JA did that justified the coverage he got in the DM and similar outlets. Academia is a funny bubble with sordid politics, massive egos, and amazing conversations all at once. Had he been white and NT, he would just be one of many other who colour outside professional lines. Not newsworthy. He was hounded.

I wasn't really following the story when it came out but just realised that his memoir by Simon & Schuster is due to come out in these two weeks. He told the Guardian that the deal was worth 1.4M.

That seems like very odd timing. Did someone know about the upcoming book deal and sabotage him into resigning just before the release? He was already scheduled for book promotion and speaking engagements in September.

Maybe the final straw was financial rather than just media scrutiny because it was clear a 7-figure project was at stake. Did he receive threats from people involved in the book deal or was he at risk of personal bankruptcy as well?

For legal reasons. Think about it.

100% agree from personal experience.

A person's death is very sad. But those accusing the press of hounding him...it's not their fault. He caused this. Cambridge University also helped by not showing due diligence before employing him. I feel for his children but I assume his wife was aware? Who knows but it only comes down to him and those that didn't bother to look into his back story.

Agreed. The whole saga doesn’t change because he has now passed.

Sadly just went on there and shocked it wasn't their headline story.. it's further down the page and the writing doesn't seem to stand out as much as the other articles. No comments allowed either!

I think it’s revolting that posters can’t stop speculating and continuing to attack Arday even in the immediate aftermath of his death. They remind me of the horrible people picking over Scrooge’s body and belongings in A Christmas Carol. Have some respect for a fellow human being.

If it was indeed a suicide, it's just very sad. I get that my emotions are all over the place because of my beautiful girl. But it breaks my heart that ANYBODY, whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation they have ended up in (of their own doing or not) feels that they have to be alone with that burden and that there is no way out other than to end their life. 😭This would have blown over eventually. Like a PP said, 30 years ago it would be forgotten in a matter of days.

I should add I do not read the DM so that input hasn’t shaped my opinion.

It's also disgusting how people are point scoring and blaming complete strangers for his death.

Why are pp talking as if the only the Daily Mail was covering the case? The Guardian published one of the strongest and most in depth investigative pieces.

Two wrongs don’t make a right. We all have the choice to post respectfully.

Exactly. Not to mention the ignorance around the DM disabling comments. It's in the early stages of a death where full facts are still being gathered.

It is their choice what they make into a story, what they deem newsworthy, and what angle they pursue.
As others have said, had he been been from a different background this would have been a non-story.