Menu
0
    0

    Your Cart is Empty

      Read Our Annual Report

      A comprehensive summary of the past year and future of PFS

      Read Here

      Home / National Free Speech News & Commentary
      Previous  / Next

      Commentary: It Can Happen Here?

      October 20, 2023 1 min read

      John Aubrey Douglass
      Academe Blog

      Excerpt: There is much to worry about as we approach 2024: attacks on academic freedom, on free speech, on open societies, and attempts to degrade democracy, and not just here in the United States. As I discuss in my article “Here and Abroad, Universities Face an Autocratic Playbook” in the recent issue of Academe, there are stories in almost all the corners of the world concerning the importance of academic freedom and the general concept of universities as unique and valuable autonomous or semi-autonomous institutions under attack.

      The war in Ukraine, systematic suppression of faculty and student voices in Russia, jailing of the same in China and Turkey, restraints on academic freedom in Hungary and elsewhere, and now the horrific events in Israel and Gaza—all bring home the reality that academics must navigate through the political and harsh realities of the world.

      Click here for link to full article

      Leave a comment

      Also in National Free Speech News & Commentary

      Commentary: In Defense of the AAUP Statement on Polarizing Times

      November 29, 2023 1 min read

      John K. Wilson
      Academe Blog

      Excerpt: It’s always distressing during contentious times when neutral statements for free speech are twisted beyond recognition with false smears of bias and bigotry. In a November 27 essay in The Hill, Northwestern law professor Steven Lubet denounced the American Association of University Professors for a November 15 statement, “Polarizing Times Demand Robust Academic Freedom,” claiming that it has “a distressing anti-Israel bias.” I don’t work for the AAUP, and I don’t speak for the AAUP, but I think Lubet’s charge is completely incorrect and unsupported by any evidence.
      Read More
      Renowned scholars sign declaration launching global free speech movement

      November 29, 2023 1 min read

      Matthew Xiao
      College Fix

      Excerpt: A politically diverse group of 138 public figures recently signed and published the Westminster Declaration, a statement aimed at advancing a global free speech movement.

      “We recognize that words can sometimes cause offense, but we reject the idea that hurt feelings and discomfort, even if acute, are grounds for censorship,” it states. “Open discourse is the central pillar of a free society, and is essential for holding governments accountable, empowering vulnerable groups, and reducing the risk of tyranny.”
      Read More
      Commentary: Hypocritical definitions of ‘academic freedom’ empower extremists

      November 27, 2023 1 min read

      Steven Lubet
      The Hill

      Excerpt: The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) quite rightly calls itself the “most prominent guardian of academic freedom” for faculty and students in the U.S. In a recent statement on the Israel-Hamas war, however, titled “Polarizing Times Demand Robust Academic Freedom” the AAUP displayed a distressing anti-Israel bias that sadly undermines its commitment to even-handed protection of free expression.
      Read More

      Recent Articles

      Categories