Statement from PRCA’s Race and Ethnicity Equity Board on the death of Prof. Dr. Jason Arday and media accountability

“I would take a thread and a needle, and I’d interweave love into our society.” These were the words of Prof. Dr. Jason Arday. He also lived by the maxim: “Always speak good of people.”

The Race and Ethnicity Equity Board (REEB) is deeply saddened by the untimely death of Prof. Dr. Arday, who was found unresponsive at his home on Friday, 14 August 2026. Our thoughts are first and foremost with his family, friends and all those who knew him.

His death should also serve as a catalyst for action across the media, PR and communications industries, including a serious examination of the nature, scale and impact of intense public scrutiny.

In the period before his death, Prof. Dr. Arday was the subject of extensive media and online coverage following allegations made against him. When he resigned from Cambridge, he said he had reached “the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.” According to media monitoring by Newscord, at least 188 articles were published in just nine days, alongside significant commentary across social media and other online platforms.

Whatever the circumstances of an individual story, that scale and intensity of coverage should concern us. It raises important questions about proportionality, responsibility and the way individuals are treated when they become the focus of sustained media attention.

For REEB, it also reinforces the need to consider the role that race, ethnicity and intersectional identity can play in determining who receives scrutiny, how they are portrayed and the language used to describe them. Prof. Dr. Arday was a Black man, from a working-class background, who had spoken publicly about being autistic. These dimensions of his identity should not be ignored when reflecting on his experience.

The use of words such as “allegedly” does not remove the responsibility to consider the cumulative human impact of reporting. Behind every headline is a person, as well as their family, friends and colleagues.

This must not become a brief moment of reflection before business continues as usual. As communications professionals, we have a responsibility to consider the standards we expect from the media and the standards we apply in our own work.

REEB is therefore asking PR professionals, journalists and editorial teams to consider the following principles:

1. Acknowledge and interrogate bias
​Recognise the role that race, ethnicity and intersectional identities can play in editorial and communications decisions. We should be prepared to examine our own assumptions, processes and judgements.

2. Look at patterns in the data
​Consider disparities not only in the volume of coverage, but in tone, framing, headlines, sources and whose voices are given prominence. Data can help us identify patterns that might otherwise go unchallenged.

3. Uphold a duty of care
​Remember that the subjects of news stories are people. Sustained and highly visible public scrutiny can have a profound impact on individuals and those around them. Ethical judgement must remain central to decisions about coverage and communications.

4. Look beyond engagement at all costs
​Clicks, impressions and engagement should never be the only measures of success. Our industry must continue to examine the incentives that can reward outrage, conflict and the amplification of distress.

A call for further scrutiny

REEB also supports calls for greater scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding Prof. Dr. Arday’s treatment by the media. The Good Law Project is backing calls for a government inquiry into press conduct and the wider issues raised by this case.

We encourage PRCA members and communications professionals to engage with this call and consider what further accountability is needed to ensure the lessons from Prof. Dr. Arday’s experience lead to meaningful change.

In the immediate term, we also urge journalists, photographers and others covering Prof. Dr. Arday’s death to respect the privacy of his family and his home. At a time of profound grief, they should be given the space and dignity to mourn in private.

PR ethical dilemmas

If you work in PR and would like guidance on an ethical dilemma, or if the issues raised in this statement have affected you, please contact PRCA’s Race and Ethnicity Equity Board.