Jason Arday is dead at 41. There were legitimate questions about his academic work, his biography and Cambridge University's decision to appoint him. They deserved investigation. Academic integrity matters, and neither race, disability nor an inspirational life story should put anyone beyond scrutiny.

But let's not pretend that is all that happened here.

This was not merely a plagiarism story. Serious questions emerged about Arday's academic record and extraordinary claims about his life. Some were difficult to substantiate; others produced conflicting evidence. Journalists had every right to investigate them. Cambridge also had questions to answer about how thoroughly it vetted him.

Acknowledging that makes the question of proportionality more important, not less.

Arday became a symbol in the war against diversity, equity and inclusion. Once that happened, scrutiny widened beyond his scholarship to his qualifications, appointments, charity work, athletic accomplishments, childhood and disability. Somewhere along the way, the man himself became the investigation.

Professor Steven Barnett counted 289 stories about Arday in Britain's mainstream press in just 22 days, almost two-thirds after he resigned. Arday wasn't a prime minister. He was a sociology professor. Cambridge Chancellor Chris Smith called the coverage a "racist feeding frenzy", while also insisting that allegations of academic misconduct must be rigorously investigated. Both things can be true.

A Black academic can fail. He can exaggerate. He can plagiarise. He can be........

© The Express Tribune