Now he’s sorry.
Disgraced journalist Ross Barkan issued an odd apology for 67 instances of plagiarism that cost him his gig at New York Magazine and the launch of his new book — after initially lashing out at the first people to catch him and claiming the allegations were somehow a form of “character assassination.”
Barkan changed his tune Wednesday, days after New York Mag axed him and a publisher killed the release of his new book on Mayor Mamdani, whom Barkan frequently cheered.
“I am truly sorry for the mistakes I made,” Barkan moaned on X. “None of them, genuinely, were willful or intentional.”
He went on to offer a weird explanation for the 67 pieces “that did not include proper attribution of language, information and/or sourcing,” according to New York Mag.
“In the course of many columns a week, I did not use citations aggressively as I should have and did not paraphrase well enough,” Barkan wrote. “I never intended to crib from anyone’s work.
“I recognize, though, how I failed. I am sorry to the journalists whose work I did not properly cite.”
Sounding a bit like a local pol — Barkan unsuccessfully ran for state senate in 2018, an effort for which Mamdani served as campaign manager — he concluded by saying he’s going “to take some time away and self-reflect.”
“I promise to do a much better job going forward,” he added.
The mea culpa marked a stark shift in Barkan’s tone compared to his initial angry reaction.
When NPR reported on Barkan rip-offs in May, Barkan accused the NPR reporter of “character assassination.”
“I’m proud of my record, my work, and stand by it. I won’t be bullied,” Barkan wrote in a since-deleted post on X.
The scandal began days earlier, when a Washington Post reporter noticed striking similiraties between the lead of one of his articles and the lead in a Barkan piece on the same subject.
New York Mag went on to conduct a four-month review of Barkan’s work for the lefty publication, in which he frequently praised Mamdani, eventually unearthing the stunning number of plagiarism cases.
“We regret that this work did not live up to our editorial standards, and apologize to the writers whose work was not appropriately attributed,” New York said.
Barkan initially appeared to try to stand his ground, offering a tepid apology.
“In the course of nearly 250 pieces, there were times I should have been more careful with my citation,” he said after getting the boot from New York Mag. “I’m sorry about these errors and will work to do better, more careful work in the future.”
His career has since immolated, with Penguin Random House recently slamming the brakes on sales and promotion for a pro-Mamdani tome by the ink-stained wretch.
The book, titled “The Revolutionary: Zohran Mamdani and the Remaking of American Politics,” had been set for an October release but was quietly pulled from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart’s websites.
The New York Times said it reviewed Barkan’s freelance work for the paper but did not find any evidence of malfeasance.
The Nation is currently reviewing his articles for it.
The Post has asked The Atlantic and The Guardian if they are reviewing his work, too.
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