Business Insider and its parent company, Axel Springer, affirmed their support for the outlet's reporting that claimed Neri Oxman, a notable former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the wife of billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, had plagiarized in her doctoral dissertation.
No "Unfair Bias" Reporting
Barbara Peng, CEO of Business Insider, stated in a note on Sunday that the outlet thoroughly reviewed its reporting for several days in response to complaints from Ackman. The review concluded that there was no unfair bias, and the process used to report, edit, and review the stories was deemed sound.
Peng affirmed that two stories published by the outlet earlier this month, stating that Oxman had plagiarized other scholars' work and taken sections from Wikipedia, are accurate. Oxman is a fair subject, having a public profile as a prominent intellectual and participating in media coverage. This response countered Ackman's complaints that she should be exempt from coverage related to his recent activism.
Peng expressed the publication's support and empowerment of its journalists to deliver newsworthy, factual stories with editorial independence and affirmed their commitment to the newsroom and reporting, emphasizing that it will continue moving forth.
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Oxman Admitting the Claims
Last week, Business Insider stated that Axel Springer had initiated a review of its reporting, which claimed Oxman had plagiarized her work, raising questions, criticism, and the potential widespread academic dishonesty, even among prominent scholars nationwide. The stories were released following Ackman's involvement in a campaign to remove Claudine Gay as Harvard University's president, where he constantly pressured Harvard, criticizing Gay for the school's handling of anti-Semitism and later for plagiarism, which eventually resulted in her removal.
Oxman admitted she had failed to properly cite some of her work, expressing regret and apologizing for the errors on X (formerly Twitter). Ackman disputed the report and mentioned that Oxman had hired an attorney and threatened Business Insider on X, stating, "Business Insider is toast. You will hear from us in a few weeks. It will look something like this: At My Signal, Unleash Hell," which a representative declined to comment to CNN on Sunday.
Ackman criticized Business Insider and Axel Springer, stating on X (formerly Twitter) that their "liability just goes up and up and up," and expressed disbelief at their characterization of the fair, accurate, and well-documented with appropriate timing reporting.
In its initial article on January 4, Business Insider highlighted Ackman using revelations about Gay's work to support his efforts against her, in which the organization's journalists discovered a similar pattern of plagiarism by Oxman. In a second piece published the following day, it was reported that Oxman had taken sentences and paragraphs from Wikipedia, fellow scholars, and technical documents in a 2010 doctoral dissertation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ackman objected, calling it a cheap shot to target someone's family, and claimed that Business Insider reporters allowed him to respond to the accusations in less than two hours. He also implied that an editor at the publication was anti-Zionist, noting that Oxman was born in Israel.
Nicholas Carlson, Business Insider's global editor-in-chief, has not provided any immediate comments but informed his staff that he decided to publish both stories and was confident in the soundness of the preparation process, according to a Washington Post memo reported last weekend.
The staff at Business Insider became concerned during the days-long review, fearing the precedent it might establish, especially for a newsroom known for robust reporting on the wealthy and powerful. A staff member shared with CNN earlier this week that there were concerns about the potential "chilling effect" Axel Springer's actions could have on the organization.
