MeCCSA Statement on Prof Jason Arday
The Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA) represents students and academic staff working in communication, cultural and media studies across UK higher education. We are deeply saddened by the death of Professor Jason Arday on 14 August 2026, days after he resigned from his post as Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge. We are concerned that, beyond being a devastating loss for Professor Arday’s family, friends, and those who knew him, his tragic death highlights the tremendous pressure our global majority members are working under, and the harmful effects of contemporary media and social media reporting on individuals.
We are particularly shocked by the disproportionate and harmful attack on global majority colleagues who are already minoritised and often in vulnerable positions. In 2024/25, only 270 (1%) out of 26,110 professors were black (HESA, 2025). While EDI policies differ across the HE sector and do not in themselves eliminate discrimination, they are there to ensure our members are treated fairly and equally. Our disciplines, alongside higher education institutions, must reflect on how to support each other and to improve our working culture to enable everyone to overcome structural barriers and succeed professionally. Similarly, we must do our part to support anti-racist media and cultural studies education and curricula.
The intense pressure on Professor Arday from major news outlets, which in the UK alone published some 288 articles in the days before his untimely death, was appalling. We call on mainstream media, social media posters and other information services to carefully reflect on the impact of such practices. The Press Recognition Panel (PRP) stated, ‘The coverage developed into a much wider national narrative, raising serious questions about proportionality’, which amounted to ‘racialised harassment’. This is, however, not about branding all journalists and writers as the culprits of this systematic smear campaign. In fact, an inquiry into media practices at this point should reveal the vital importance of journalistic impartiality, vigorous standards, and training that enables graduates of our degrees to understand ethical and professional accountability. The case of Professor Arday’s treatment in the media reminds us of the vital need for critical and rigorous academic debates across the field of media, communication and cultural studies.
HESA (2025) Number of academic staff in UK higher education falls for the first time:
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/19-02-2026/number-academic-staff-uk-he-falls-for-first-time
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/staff/working-in-he/characteristics
PRP (2026) Statement Following the Death of Professor Jason Arday:
https://www.pressrecognitionpanel.org.uk/2026/08/20/prp-statement-following-the-death-of-professor-jason-arday/
You can read/contribute to testimonies written by Professor Arday’s colleagues and students on the ‘Everything good about Jason Arday’ blog:
https://leilacancode.github.io/everythinggood-about-jasonarday/
Statement issued by the MeCCSA Executive Committee