"BBC Verify team is actually the public": Broadcasting company trolled after Claudine Gay article reportedly gets fact-checked on Twitter

Claudine Gay, who has been sеrving as thе prеsidеnt of Harvard University since July last year, stеppеd down from her position on January 2, 2024. This comes after shе faced antisemitism and plagiarism allegations, as per Express.

As the news about Claudine's resignation went viral, various news outlets began providing their reports on it. BBC News also published an article on the same, but their headline—"Harvard’s Claudine Gay a casualty of campus culture wars"—sparked largely negative reactions.

Although the broadcasting company made the required changes to the piece, they were trolled on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). One netizen stated that "BBC Verify" is now outsourcing their work to a group that "actually" works to verify the reports.

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Netizens criticize BBC after they alter headline of their Claudine Gay article

The original headline of BBC News was flagged as misleading by X (formerly Twitter), before the publication deleted the tweet featuring the headline. It was eventually changed to "Departure of Harvard's Claudine Gay plays into campus culture wars." BBC additionally issued an apology on January 3, 2024, which reads:

"The post has been removed because the article's original headline has been amended."

While the article with the original headline went viral everywhere, netizens criticized BBC for the same on various social media platforms.

Netiznes react to the original headline of BBC (Image via BBCNews/X)

Netiznes react to the original headline of BBC (Image via BBCNews/X)

Netiznes react to the original headline of BBC (Image via BBCNews/X)

Before she resigned, Gay was in the headlines for her comments on antisemitism inside the University. She announced her resignation in a letter, which reads in part:

"After consultation with members of the Corporation, 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."

According to The New York Times, Gay will continue serving as a professor of government and African and African American studies. Following her resignation, the university's provost and chief academic officer Alan M. Garber would be brought in as a temporary replacement for Gay.

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Claudine Gay resigned after being accused of plagiarism

The New York Times stated that the accusations of plagiarism against Claudine Gay apparently emerged a long time ago. After the board members of Harvard University launched an investigation, they reportedly discovered evidence of plagiarism in two articles.

There were around 50 allegations imposed against Gay in an official complaint made on January 1, 2024, as per The Washington Free Beacon. One of the charges reportedly claimed that, in one of her articles, she copied from the work of David Canon, who serves as a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin.

Gay's dissertation work was also found to have been allegedly copied. Apart from Canon, Gay was accused of allegedly copying from other scholars like Gary King, Franklin Gilliam, and more. The charges of plagiarism were brought up by right-wing activist Christopher Rufo in December 2023, as per BBC.