Commentary: Gaza, Genocide, and Academic Freedom

Jonathan Turley
Jonathan Turley’s Blog

Excerpt: In the 1930s, Bertolt Brecht asked “What if they gave a war and nobody came?”  As someone who has been a teacher for over 30 years, I find myself increasingly asking the same question as trust and enrollments fall in higher education. There has been a precipitous decline in enrollments across the country as universities worry about covering their costs without raising already high tuition rates. From 2010 to 2021, enrollments fell from roughly 18.1 million students to about 15.4 million.

There is also an increasing view of higher education as an academic echo chamber for far left agendas. For many, there is little appeal in going to campuses where you are expected to self-censor and professors reject your values as part of their lesson plans.

Ashleigh Fields
The Hill

Excerpt: Americans are placing less value on the First Amendment than they did four years ago, according to a new survey. A Freedom Forum report showed 58 percent of people say they would approve the First Amendment today, a 4-point drop from 2020.

Despite the decrease in importance, respondents said the right to free speech will influence their vote this fall. More than half of Americans in the Northeast said the First Amendment is relevant to their decision this fall, compared to 49 percent in the Midwest.

William Harris
FIRE

Excerpt: FIRE’s 2025 College Free Speech Rankings show that roughly a quarter of students think it is not clear that their administration protects free speech on campus. And if a free speech controversy were to erupt? More than a quarter believe their administration would be unlikely to defend a speaker’s right to express their views.

America's colleges and universities should be bastions of free speech. Yet, these abysmal scores show they are not. Alumni don’t have to reward universities that flunk out on free speech: They can donate to FIRE in lieu of making a gift to their alma mater.