They claimed that the "crime of plagiarism was a new conservative
weapon" .. A number of obvious problems for them in that short passage.

First, that is like saying "truth & honesty is a new conservative weapon".
Exactly who has a problem holding dishonest cheaters to account,
especially ones charged with overseeing the higher education of young
adults ?
We know exactly who has that problem, just so long as that cheater
checks all the boxes.

2nd, it insinuates that the "crime of plagiarism" is nearly exclusively
dominated by leftists [which it is], and hence, conservatives stand in
opposition.

For these reasons, and more, these sniveling propagandists masquerading
as journalists were forced to walk their own propaganda back to
something that left them an out against charges of being apologist
Bolshevik hacks.

````````````````````````````````

Associated Press is forced into humiliating U-turn on ousted Harvard
President Claudine Gay article after sensational headline that claimed
academic crime of plagiarism was a 'new conservative weapon'

The Associated Press has faced fierce backlash after they published
a sensational headline on a story about Claudine Gay's resignation
The publication went on to change the headline and said it didn't
line up with their 'standards'
Gay resigned on Tuesday in a bitter letter to colleagues and students

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12923691/associated-press-harvard-president-claudine-gay-conservative-weapon.html
--
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for
light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.