The nation’s cultural elites have been gripped by an intense wave of moral panic since the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol. That panic has found expression in … Continue reading “Silenced by the Sheep: Academia’s New Censorship”
Free speech in higher ed is threatened, and leaders in our academic institutions won’t save it. “Unless reforms come from outside the academy,” writes Eric Kaufmann in The Wall Street Journal, “universities … Continue reading “Did You Know? Survey Paints Grim Picture of Academia, But Signs of Hope”
Back in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, church officials felt it necessary to scrutinize every book or pamphlet for the slightest hint of heresy. If the work deviated from … Continue reading “The Campaign to Stamp Out Academic Heresy”
Three universities in North Carolina host chapters of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, a group with ties to the Chinese government. According to a May article in Campus Reform, … Continue reading “Did You Know? Chinese Government Influence at North Carolina Colleges”
As academia becomes ever-more entrenched in groupthink, it can be intimidating to be a lone voice that refuses to toe the ideological line. And for good reason: failure to at … Continue reading “Speaking Out Against Censorship in Academia”
“People that work at universities and newspapers should be the most intellectually free people in the world.” Few would vocally disagree with these words recently said by former New York … Continue reading “Where Did ‘Cancel Culture’ Come From?”
In 1980, Apple founder Steve Jobs called the computer “a bicycle for our minds.” Today, the advent of smartphones gives individuals the power to share images instantaneously with the rest … Continue reading “Censoring a Thousand Words: Universities Must Cease Punishing Students for Their Online Pictures”
A recent case of attempted silencing and censorship has roiled the field of political science. Two gender studies professors, Allison Howell of Rutgers University and Melanie Richter-Montpetit of the University … Continue reading “The Power of Denunciation in Political Science”
Academic freedom is under assault by people who want to control research and speech. One of their strategies exploits the gatekeeping functions of journal editors to censor unpopular ideas. The … Continue reading “Misusing Editorial Power to Censor Unpopular Research”
On picking up What Snowflakes Get Right: Free Speech, Truth, and Equality on Campus, one might expect a book urging those who dismiss today’s college students’ complaints about institutional racism, … Continue reading “What Provosts Get Wrong: A Failed Case for Campus Speech Restrictions”