The Orwell Prize Council has announced that it was considering if take back the award for political journalism from Johann Hari, who recently declined accusations of plagiarism but admitted inserting unattributed quotes into his articles.

The Independent’s prize-winning columnist Johann Hari sparked a storm of protest after he admitted that he use unattributed quotes in his articles. He explained that he substituted the comments with the interviewee’s comments on the same topic written somewhere else to make the point clearer. His admittance raised concerns about journalistic ethics.

Hari had won the award for political journalism in 2008, but the organisers of the Orwell Prize have warned they had no option but to investigate the matter. They confirmed that they were in contact with the 2008 judges, and had written to Hari as well as his editor of the Independent.

However, the editor of the Independent, Simon Kelner, has defended Hari, saying the reaction against him was politically motivated.

Hari was bestowed with the Orwell Prize for five articles, including France’s Secret War in the Central African Republic, and a look at Gordon Brown’s intellectual hero James Maxton.

At that time, Hari was praised by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Scardino for producing excellent work that blended courageous reporting and forceful writing with honest analysis.