Topic for Jan. 11. ( Thur )

[Alex !]

Scalping. Associated Press is forced into humiliating U-turn on ousted Harvard President Claudine Gay article after sensational headline that claimed academic crime of plagiarism was a 'new conservative weapon'

Gay, 53, resigned as the President of Harvard University on Tuesday in a bitter letter to colleagues and students.

She stepped down from her role 28 days after her shocking response at a  congressional testimony about campus anti-Semitism. Gay refused to categorize calls for genocide of Jews as harassment or admit that Jewish students had a right not to feel unsafe at Ivy League schools. 

The headline that originally said: 'Harvard president’s resignation highlights new conservative weapon against colleges: plagiarism' has since been changed to 'Plagiarism charges downed Harvard’s president. A conservative attack helped to fan the outrage.'

The publication has since told Fox News Digital that the initial headline on the piece  was not up to their 'standards.' 

Along with December 5 testimony, Gay has also been accused of mounting claims of plagiarism against her - but said she had been the victim of racist threats.

'It has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual,' she said in her resignation letter. 

Gay was president of the Ivy League University for just six months, 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 scrutiny, as the copy referred to conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who assisted in exposing allegations against Gay. 

The Associated Press cited a tweet that Rufo posted to X as he celebrated her sudden departure and used the word 'SCALPED.' 

The article then went on to define the word as 'invoking a gruesome practice taken up by white colonists who sought to eradicate Native Americans and also used by some tribes against their enemies.' 

In response to the publication mocking his tweet, Rufo said: 'It's glorious: Academics defending plagiarism. Journalists opposing journalism. Newswires attributing scalping to "white colonists." Everyone focusing on the frame we set. That is how the game is won.'

Many others flocked to social media to ridicule the news outlet as one posted a clown emoji and said: 'AP says pointing out plagiarism is a "new conservative weapon." Community Notes comes in clutch.' 

'Imagine having such low expectations for minorities that you believe they're not capable of learning on their own,' it continued. 

Journalist T. Becket Adams said: 'Does Claudine Gay moonlight as an AP writer? What's happening?' 

Another person said: 'The AP, a once reputable news source has been infiltrated and corrupted by Leftists like so many other institutions.' 

They then went on to say that the fact that the publication had to be corrected by Community Notes, a platform on X used to 'create a better informed world' made them 'chuckle.' 

Representative Ralph Norman, who served the 5th congressional district of South Carolina, also took to social media and said, 'Imaged @AP's posture towards plagiarism if Claudine Gay were a male, Asian, white, outspoken Christian, or a Republican.'

Following Gay's announcement, the Harvard Corporation, which serves as the school board, heaped praise on her 'devoted' service and said it had accepted her resignation 'with sorrow,' while Jewish groups and alumni like billionaire Bill Ackman embraced the announcement. 

She said it had been 'frightening' to find herself the target of threats, and 'distressing' to have her character questioned. 

Gay will be replaced by Alan M. Garber, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, who sat behind her at the infamous December 5 hearing, nodding as she made her remarks. 

In the letter, she said it was with a 'heavy heart' that she was standing down, but confirmed she would retain some kind of role at the school. 

'I believe we have within us all that we need to heal from this period of tension and division and to emerge stronger. 

'I had hoped with all my heart to lead us on that journey, in partnership with all of you.

'As I now return to the faculty, and to the scholarship and teaching that are the lifeblood of what we do, I pledge to continue working alongside you to build the community we all deserve,' she said. 

Gay will remain a member of the university staff and return to a teaching role at the department of political science, and keep a similar salary.

She will retain a salary of around $900,000-a-year from the university, despite being forced to resign amid a plagiarism scandal. 

How Harvard's Claudine Gay clung to power amid anti-Semitism claims

The daughter of Haitian immigrants, became the first the black person to lead the university when she took over as president on July 1.  

As she was dealing with criticism of her Congressional testimony, Rufo published accusations that she had plagiarized portions of her 1997 doctoral thesis.

The Washington Free Beacon then published their own investigation into Gay's work, but on December 12, the Harvard Corporation - which runs the university - announced she had been investigated and cleared.

Some noted the speed of the investigation: most take six to 12 months, but Gay was cleared in a matter of weeks.

The Corporation said some of her academic work would be 'corrected', but her job was secure.

Yet the accusations of plagiarism kept coming, and students began to complain that they would be punished for similar violations.

The Associated Press has a page on their website that details their news principals and values, and highlight that plagiarism is not tolerated. 

'An AP staffer who reports and writes a story must use original content, language and phrasing. We do not plagiarize, meaning that we do not take the work of others and pass it off as our own,' the site says. 

*Christopher. F. Rufo.

I see that the Left, desperate for revenge for the scalping of Harvard's president, is resurrecting this old smear piece from The New Republic that falsely claims the master's degree I earned from Harvard as a non-traditional student is somehow not a real Harvard degree.

They are free to make the argument that Harvard Extension School is not as prestigious as the other graduate programs—that’s fine. They are also free to make the argument that Harvard Extension School should not grant degrees at all—that's something they can take up with Harvard president C̶l̶a̶u̶d̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶G̶a̶y̶ Alan Garber.

But the facts are indisputable. From the HES website: "We are a fully accredited Harvard school. Our degrees and certificates are adorned with the Harvard University insignia. They carry the weight of that lineage. Our graduates walk at University Commencement and become members of the Harvard Alumni Association. As one of 12 degree-granting institutions at Harvard University, we teach to the largest and most eclectic student body."

At root, what's happening is that the people who populate the left-wing managerial class live for status and prestige. Their credentials are their whole world. They are the kind of people who ask "where did you go to college" at parties, well into middle age. They always manage to name-drop this person or that school, sizing up how useful you might be to them.

I have never been that way. I find it soulless and dishonorable. As my classmates from Georgetown went into finance, consulting, and graduate programs, I became a documentary filmmaker and traveled the world. Now I live in a small town in Washington State, amongst teachers, nurses, firefighters, tradesmen, soldiers, and homemakers. Not a single person in my immediate social circle works in journalism, academia, or the intellectual professions, which is welcome, as I get to live a normal life and my value does not depend on the whims of the left-wing press.

By contrast, the highly-credentialed people who work at places like The New Republic make fast-food wages and console themselves with status games. They cannot cope with the fact that an extension school graduate toppled the president of Harvard. It undermines their whole claim to legitimacy, status, and prestige. Imagine how frustrating it is: They have dutifully repeated the regime narrative, hoping to check the boxes and move up the ladder—and then some uncouth outsider, who attended night school, wins the game.

I've spoken about my experience with Harvard many times, including in the thread below. Besides the formal aspects of that education, it provided me a window into how my opponents operate, giving me another practical edge. My critics can say what they will, but they should understand that I operate on a different set of principles than they do; I will not be shamed by their condescension.

Ultimately, I do not measure myself by my credentials, but by my victories. And on that count, I am doing fine.