Hardeep Matharu

Can Burnham Wave Goodbye to the Culture Wars? "Those in power pursued a relentless exceptionalism that exists (only) in their own heads & social media feeds; stoking faux battles – treating us with contempt" New Byline Times print edition has gone to press 👇 Support us: subscribe.bylinetimes.com

Another, small but important, example of how politics and media really works in the UK 👇

Byline Times@bylinetimes.bsky.social

"Picking on Byline Times sends a message to other political journalists: Be careful. Don't be too critical. We can do the same to you." @adambienkov.bsky.social speaks to LBC's @mrjamesob.bsky.social about Byline Times' ban from Conservative Party Conference.

bylinetimes.comThe Two Professors and a ‘War On Ideas’The different stories of the Cambridge academics Jason Arday and James Orr reveal the wider cultural and ideological forces around hierarchies and structural power – and who gets to belong in our inst...

The story of Jason Arday is the story of James Orr. Of the ideology which has found a foothold in Cambridge University, fostering the sorts of ideas that formed the undercurrents – sometimes explicit; sometimes unconscious – against Arday. I returned to my alma mater for an in-depth exploration 👇

"There is a legitimate role for scrutiny in journalism and academia, but scrutiny should never mean the abandonment of proportionality or humanity. Professor Arday's death forces an uncomfortable reckoning with what happens when the subject of a story ceases to be treated as a person" Richard Sudan

"When those like Professor Arday pass, people aren't just mourning an individual – they mourn everything else he represented. He built his career around challenging inequalities of race, class, belonging... Many relate to that: that their very existence can be an act of resistance" Aker Okoye-Downie

Among the concerns raised about the advice Jason Arday received from Cambridge in the weeks before his death is that he spoke to the Daily Mail, which surprised those who knew him. It is understood he did this on advice from the University. This period will be examined in Nazir Afzal's inquiry.

"Cambridge must recognise attacks on one minority ethnic leader could have implications for others. We have seen questions subsequently raised about the leadership of Lord Simon Woolley. That raises a much broader question about what happens when minority ethnic staff are targeted" Aker Downie-Okoye

"It is vital the rise of the far-right that has infiltrated certain establishments – Cambridge possibly being one of them – is looked into. The task ahead for Cambridge & society is huge. Cambridge holds the future of many influential minds. Who influences those minds is fundamental" Dawn Butler MP

"The trust has been severed, particularly for black and minoritised students of colour, because they are thinking now: this could be me, and I could be unprotected. In future, they need to know they will be safeguarded – that Cambridge genuinely cares about their wellbeing and safety" Sarah Misraoui

"This moment is bigger than one individual or even one institution... academia is increasingly at the centre of conflicts around inclusion, justice, who gets to shape ideas. There is an important question for the University about who gets to decide who belongs in this institution" Aker Downie-Okoye

"The contrast with the comparatively limited attention to controversies involving James Orr is profound. Accountability cannot function credibly if its intensity appears to selectively change according to who is being held accountable. Accountability itself becomes a racialised weapon" Richard Sudan

16 Sept

A new era for Byline Times goes to press! @peterjukes.bsky.social & I are proud to have worked on a print redesign with our new art director Sonny Dhamu. With your support, we continue to grow. This issue marks a story no one else can/will. Two Cambridge professors. Two very different narratives...

subscribe.bylinetimes.comCome Join Our Quest for Truth – Byline Timessubscription-funded investigations Byline Times’ exposé of the PPE scandal → Within weeks of the Coronavirus lockdown in 2020, we were reporting on what ended up being billions of non-compete contract...

16 Sept

In recent weeks, many people have got in touch with me & my colleagues at Byline Times to show their appreciation of the work we've been doing (in some cases for years) on what happened to Jason Arday & the deeper currents revealed by the story of James Orr. Journalism funded by you. Join us here:

16 Sept

Bonnie Greer was never anybody but herself. So unique. So indomitable. So unaffected by the crowd. A lover of complexities and no easy answers. We were emailing in recent weeks about Jason Arday – she had much to say which she wasn't able to in the end. A mentor who lifted us up. We will miss you.

bylinetimes.comJason Arday: The Story Behind the Story of The Times’ ‘Impossible Data’The newspaper of record failed to distinguish between corrections and retractions in the work of the late Cambridge University academic, fuelling the media firestorm that engulfed him

10 Sept

This important piece by my colleague @nafeez.bsky.social aims to shed light not heat around the death of Jason Arday – which Byline Times will continue to report on, with complexity, nuance, and evidence. Like any other profession, the established press should be willing to ask questions of itself.

9 Sept

A criminal investigation is underway by Met Police into allegations Reform broke the law in relation to foreign funding, following a C4 broadcast involving James Orr. James Orr is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity. Any media interest in hundreds of articles?

theguardian.comCambridge University examines conduct of academic suspended by Reform UKJames Orr, an associate professor, was shown in Channel 4 News footage apparently trying to sidestep electoral law

After James Orr was filmed by undercover reporters, Cambridge University has told the Guardian that it "is looking into these matters". What about the other extensive concerns raised about Orr, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge, by Byline Times?

Hardeep Matharu@hardeepmatharu.bsky.social

Now James Orr has stepped down as Reform UK's Head of Policy after C4's report, questions remain for Cambridge – where he is Associate Professor. Byline Times revealed serious concerns about his activities there months ago. We all know there won't now be 200+ articles on him and his life don't we?

cam.ac.ukUniversity of Cambridge launches independent review following the death of Professor Jason ArdayThe University of Cambridge is launching an independent review following the death of Professor Jason Arday. It will examine the University’s decision-making, policies and organisational processes, wi...

Former Chief Prosecutor for North-West England @nazirafzal.bsky.social will lead part of an independent review following the death of Jason Arday, Cambridge University has announced. He will examine the support available to Jason Arday during the period prior to his death. Reporting within 3 months:

Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice: "We worked very hard to support Professor Arday during an appalling period of external criticism and focus but given the devastating outcome, we are all asking ourselves whether we could have & should have done more. This review will answer that question"

A second part will be a broader review of institutional processes and practice. Cambridge University has said it will appoint an "independent external chair to lead this work and will establish an expert panel, including individuals with lived experience, to advise". Reporting within 6 months.

Cambridge's only response (which it said we couldn't publish) to our James Orr investigation: "Byline Times has sent a slew of unsubstantiated allegations, wilful mischaracterisations & falsehoods, which we strongly reject... we are unable to engage with the approach as a legitimate media enquiry"

bylinetimes.comPalantir Co-Founder Peter Thiel and Reform UK's Cambridge University Recruitment Pipeline Project RevealedThe world-renowned academic institution has nothing to say in response to a six-month investigation by Byline Times raising serious concerns about the safeguarding of students and foreign influence at...

Here is the full investigation published by Byline Times on 9 July 2026 👇

Hardeep Matharu reposted

Sally

@sallyapiacere.bsky.social

3 Sept

An even more interesting question for @cam.ac.uk following #c4news expose of Reform, and James Orr's special role in it.

Hardeep Matharu@hardeepmatharu.bsky.social

It remains striking that Cambridge University – which has rightly found itself subject to immense scrutiny in recent days over its academic appointments process – did not answer any of Byline Times' questions re Cambridge Professor James Orr, Reform's Head of Policy, and his activities there. Why?

Hardeep Matharu reposted

Musa Okwonga

@okwonga.bsky.social

3 Sept

Going to be some more questions for buddy tonight, eh. Let's see what Cambridge says about this. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.comReform officials ‘plotted to break law on foreign donations’ in undercover filmInvestigation broadcast by Channel 4 News shows man posing as ‘impermissible donor’ paying for polling that helped Reform

Hardeep Matharu@hardeepmatharu.bsky.social

bylinetimes.com‘A Polar Bear on an Iceberg? Here’s This Picture of Catastrophe and You’ve Totally Depoliticised It’The climate crisis can’t be solved without a commitment to fighting injustice at the same time – Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, sat down with Byline Times' Editor in Chief to ex...

"They're talking about it with a polar bear on an iceberg... a fucking plastic straw? It just made no sense at all. Here's this picture of catastrophe & you've totally depoliticised it" I sat down with Friends of the Earth's Asad Rehman to explore why fighting climate crisis = fighting inequality 👇

"The biggest change between then and now... it always felt like there were real moments and bonds of solidarity. Much more of a sense of possibility. Places of community were being built & you never felt alone; it was a collective experience, not one you were dealing with in isolation" Asad Rehman

"If people aren't struggling to pay their energy bills, they can lift their heads up. I always say: the problem is, when you're struggling, you can never lift your head up to look. It's only when you’re not struggling that your head can begin to lift, and you begin to notice the beauty" Asad Rehman

"For the first time, we've got them not just on the streets, not just in Parliament, but controlling the public square – in a way the far-right has never been able to do... It's like the 1930s, where you've got a large part of the establishment willing to go along with far-right ideas" Asad Rehman

"[The establishment] was very fearful of this 'lair' of radical black organising. So where we were fighting for an anti-racist society, they started talking about 'multiculturalism'... But, for us, the most important thing that mattered was the state's ability to use violence against us" Asad Rehman

"We're given a sense of having no agency, that nothing changes, nobody gives a shit, which has been deliberately engineered. I think this actually is a profound moment of hope & justice: we can fix the problems. The answers to the climate crisis are the answers to the inequality crisis" Asad Rehman

"What the left has failed to do is understand how much place matters to people in their identity. For many whose lives are in a 40-minute radius of where they were born, that's their world: the lens through which they look at absolutely everything. Far-right can talk to them about place" Asad Rehman

"We're the villains in the right's story. To some extent, the climate movement is tone deaf if it talks about carbon & doesn't talk about the fact people can't afford energy, to buy a home or pay rent, when they're talking about 'warm homes' – it just doesn't connect to where people are" Asad Rehman

21 Aug

With unprecedent El Niño announced, the fossil fuel age is burning itself alive. And yet... The new edition of Byline Times has gone to press, exploring the ultimate existential crisis of our times We also examine the story dominating our media in recent weeks instead of this crisis: Jason Arday 👇

21 Aug

Since its founding 7 years ago, Byline Times has paved the way for fearless, independent, investigative journalism – that is truly outside the system. We couldn't do it without our subscribers. To support our mission, join us: subscribe.bylinetimes.com Or buy a copy of the print edition in shops 👇

19 Aug

Jason Arday's death will/has quickly become about 'the media shouldn't be censored' & 'journalists shouldn't be condemned'. The discussion that should be had is why journalism can't calmy reflect & scrutinise itself. It's about the culture. The water we swim in. The knee-jerk response confirms this.

19 Aug

This deeper, structural, reality about the media-political-societal culture journalism operates in – the lens journalists/editors choose to adopt on how a story is reported – is what I would have raised on today's BBC Media Show. But I was dropped at the last minute due to over-booking, I was told.

bylinetimes.comJason Arday: We Must Rage – Rage Against the Journalism of CrueltyThe death of the academic shows the casual conversion of humiliation into entertainment by a media running on monetised hate and cruelty

19 Aug

"We must rage against its cruelty, against the casual conversion of humiliation into entertainment, against the idea that because each blow can be defended in isolation no one bears responsibility for the beating" Poignant reflections by my colleague @iainoverton.bsky.social on Jason Arday's death:

bylinetimes.comThere Will Be Another Jason ArdayThere is no check to fetter power when unfettered power resides in the check

17 Aug

"There will be another Jason Arday. We know this. Because the media knows this. The press isn't free if it lacks impunity to do anything it likes. It is how power protects itself. By declaring it has none. There is no check to fetter power when unfettered power resides in the check." My Editorial:

Hardeep Matharu reposted

Josiah Mortimer

@josiahmortimer.bsky.social

16 Aug

I don't believe Byline Times' extensive reporting on Cambridge academic - and Reform policy chief - James Orr has received a single piece of pick-up by other outlets

Hardeep Matharu@hardeepmatharu.bsky.social

@georgemonbiot.bsky.social

15 Aug

What is in the media's *own* interests versus the public interest is often a vastly different story. The defensive position of the majority of the established press – that the press isn't free if it can't do anything it likes without consequences – is defensive for a reason. Power protecting itself.

George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social

This should be a day of shame for my profession. Unfortunately, most of the media is not renowned for self-reflection. It may be relentless in exposing other people's faults (but in most cases only the faults of those who might threaten the status quo). It is much less prepared to confront its own.

Hardeep Matharu reposted

George Monbiot

11 Aug

The Jason Arday story is by no means the biggest scandal at Cambridge University. I'm sure the media is going to pick this up and run with it in just the same way ... Or is the exaggerated CV of one Black professor somehow more important than this?

Byline Times@bylinetimes.bsky.social

🟡 From This Month’s Magazine Reform UK and Big Tech Palantir Co-Founder Peter Thiel’s ‘Political Pipeline’ Recruitment Project at the World-Renowned… By Byline Times raising The academic institution has nothing to say in response to a six-month investigation by Byline Times raising serious…

subscribe.bylinetimes.comReform UK and Big Tech Palantir Co-Founder Peter Thiel’s ‘Political Pipeline’ Recruitment Project at the World-Renowned University RevealedThe academic institution has nothing to say in response to a six-month investigation by Byline Times raising serious concerns about the safeguarding of students and hard-right and foreign influence at Cambridge…

15 Aug

When are journalists in the established press and elsewhere going to openly admit that journalists and their publications are invested in their own power to shape and influence how stories unfold and what happens to people's lives? This isn't a position of neutrality. And it is the starting point.

14 Aug

Jason Arday's utterly sad death holds a stark mirror up to the dehumanising political-media-societal culture we are in – one we must all be honest about being complicit in – which forgets there is a human being at the centre of a story, a case study, an issue, a scandal. It is dehumanising.

7 Aug

Hardeep Matharu@hardeepmatharu.bsky.social

Another new PM, another edition of Byline Times goes to press... Read our exclusive investigation on James Orr, head of policy at Reform & Cambridge professor in print - what's happening at the world-renowned university refusing to answer any of our questions? In shops / subscribe.bylinetimes.com 👇

youtube.comPrime Minister Andy Burnham on Imposter Syndrome, Failed Leadership Bids and Finding HopeYouTube video by How To Fail with Elizabeth Day

5 Aug

A politician – the Prime Minister, no less – talking about failure, self-worth, human vulnerability, and poetry? We shall wait and see what Andy Burnham does in office, but this *more human* approach is what politics really needs. It's not just a language to be used; it's a lens to look through.

3 Aug

How the established media is itself a power bloc – given the influence it can have on how a politician/party/issue is seen/positioned – is, and always has been in cases beyond Farage, part of the story. This has to be the starting point, and not only a state of affairs observable after the event.

Ian Dunt@iandunt.bsky.social

Fascinating change in BBC news bulletins about Reform. Farage announcement on small boats only gets the third spot and is balanced by critics saying he's trying to distract from allegations over his finances. Quite the change from the uncritical coverage earlier this year.

31 July

Count Binface was a surprise guest at Byline Times' event exploring parallels in US and UK politics with @lincolnproject.us and @quietriotpod.bsky.social in Leicester Square. His message to Clacton and beyond? Vote! And value a (flawed) democracy where he can take on – and laugh at – Nigel Farage.