The Associated Press was criticized and forced to make a humiliating about-face after publishing an article about Claudine Gay's resignation with a sensational headline saying plagiarism was a “new conservative weapon.”
Gay, 53, resigned as president of Harvard University in a bitter letter to colleagues and students on Tuesday.
She resigned from her position 28 days after her shocking response to congressional testimony about anti-Semitism on campus. Gay refused to categorize calls for genocide against Jews as harassment and refused to concede that Jewish students had a right not to feel unsafe in Ivy League schools.
The headline that originally read, “Harvard president's resignation highlights a new conservative weapon against universities: plagiarism,” has since been changed to “Plagiarism charges have brought down Harvard's president.” A conservative attack has fueled outrage.”
The publication has since said so Fox News digital that the original headline of the piece did not meet their 'standards'.
The Associated Press faced strong backlash after publishing a headline calling plagiarism the “new conservative weapon” in a piece about Claudine Gay's resignation.
Gay, 53, resigned as president of Harvard University in a bitter letter to colleagues and students on Tuesday.
Along with the December 5 testimony, Gay was also accused of building plagiarism claims against her, but said she had been the victim of racist threats.
“It has become clear that it is in Harvard's best interests for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution and not on any individual,” she said in her letter of resignation.
Gay served only six months as president of the Ivy League University, and in her written farewell she failed to apologize for or acknowledge the disasters that led to her departure.
The headline wasn't the only part of the AP piece that sparked major criticism, as the copy referenced conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who helped expose allegations against Gay.
The Associated Press quoted a tweet Rufo posted to X as he celebrated her sudden departure and used the word “SCALPED.”
The article then defined the word as “invoking a heinous practice practiced by white settlers who attempted to exterminate Native Americans and which was also used by some tribes against their enemies.”
The news outlet was attacked on social media for their headline, which said it suggested there are 'such low expectations for minorities'
Students are seen protesting against Israel at Harvard University on October 14. Many Jewish students said the extensive protests and the university's response to them made them feel unsafe.
Journalist T. Becket Adams went to x and asked if Gay had a second job as a journalist for AP because of the headline
In response to the publication mocking his tweet, Rufo said: “It's glorious: academics defending plagiarism. Journalists who resist journalism. Newswires attributing scalping to “white settlers.” Everyone focuses on the framework we set. That's how the game is won.'
Many others flocked to social media to ridicule the news outlet when someone posted a clown emoji and said, “AP says pointing out plagiarism is a 'new conservative weapon.' Community Notes will be in the link.'
“Imagine having such low expectations of minorities that you believe they are incapable of learning on their own,” the report continued.
Journalist T. Becket Adams said, “Is Claudine Gay moonlighting as an AP writer? What is going on?'
Another person said, “The AP, once a reputable news source, like so many other institutions, has been infiltrated and corrupted by leftists.”
They then said that the fact that the publication had to be corrected by Community Notes, a platform on
One commenter said that the fact that the publication had to be corrected by Community Notes, a platform on X used to “create a more informed world” made them chuckle.
Representative Ralph Norman asked whether AP would have taken a different position if Gay were a different gender, religion or race
Rep. Ralph Norman, who served South Carolina's 5th Congressional District, also took to social media, saying, “Depicted @AP's attitude toward plagiarism if Claudine Gay were male, Asian, white, outspoken Christian or a Republican.”
After Gay's announcement, tThe Harvard Corporation, which serves as the school's governing body, praised her “dedicated” service and said she had accepted her resignation “with sadness,” while Jewish groups and alumni such as billionaire Bill Ackman embraced the announcement.
She said it had been “frightening” to find herself the target of threats, and “disturbing” to have her character called into question.
Gay will be replaced by Alan M. Garber, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, who sat behind her during the infamous December 5 hearing and nodded as she delivered her remarks.
In the letter she said she was resigning with “a heavy heart” but confirmed she would retain some role at the school.
“I believe we have everything we need to heal from this period of tension and division and emerge stronger.
“I had hoped with all my heart to lead us on that journey, working with all of you.
“As I return to the faculty, and to the science and education that are the lifeblood of what we do, I pledge to continue working with you to build the community we all deserve,” she said.
Gay was accused of copying two paragraphs from the work of then-Harvard scholars D. Stephen Voss and Bradley Palmquist. One paragraph is almost identical, except for a few words
Homo remains a member of the university staff and return to a teaching role in the political science department, and maintain a comparable salary.
She will retain a salary of about $900,000 a year from the university, despite being forced to resign amid a plagiarism scandal.
The daughter of Haitian immigrants became the first Black person to lead the university when she took over as president on July 1.
While facing criticism for her testimony in Congress, Rufo published allegations that she had plagiarized parts of her 1997 dissertation.
The Washington Free Beacon subsequently published their own investigation into Gay's work, but on December 12, the Harvard Corporation – which runs the university – announced that she had been investigated and cleared.
Gay's alleged plagiarism of David Canon's work, here in bold letters
Gay, seen in May 2023, shortly before taking on the role as Harvard's first black president
Some noted the speed of the investigation: most last six to 12 months, but Gay was acquitted within weeks.
The Corporation said some of her academic work would be 'corrected', but her job was safe.
Still, the accusations of plagiarism kept coming and students began complaining that they would be punished for similar violations.
The Associated Press has a page on their website detailing their news principles and values, and stresses that plagiarism will not be tolerated.
'An AP employee reporting and writing a story must use original content, language and wording. “We do not plagiarize, which means we do not copy the work of others and pass it off as our own,” the site said.