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Penguin Random House Suspends Zohran Mamdani Biography Over Plagiarism

8/19/2026

Summary

Story summary

Penguin Random House suspended Ross Barkan’s biography of Zohran Mamdani after plagiarism allegations.
The book was removed from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart.
New York Magazine fired Barkan after an independent review found 67 of his columns lacked attribution, which National Public Radio (NPR) reporters said echoed their work.
Barkan apologized on X, saying the errors were not willful and that he would take time away to improve citations.

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Story summary

Penguin Random House suspended Ross Barkan’s biography of Zohran Mamdani after plagiarism allegations.
The book was removed from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart.
New York Magazine fired Barkan after an independent review found 67 of his columns lacked attribution, which National Public Radio (NPR) reporters said echoed their work.
Barkan apologized on X, saying the errors were not willful and that he would take time away to improve citations.