Vanderbilt’s Board Declares War Against Academic Freedom

A new policy punishes faculty for speech the trustees deem strays from the core purpose of the university.

insidehighered.com

Extortion and Appeasement at Northwestern

There is so much government repression happening that I cannot begin to summarize it.

insidehighered.com

Uses and Abuses on Campus of the Freedom of Information Act

We need to shame and condemn those who abuse the FOIA system to spy on professors and other public employees.

insidehighered.com

T-Shirt Thoughtcrimes at Florida International

All bans on protests are automatically viewpoint discrimination.

insidehighered.com

Academic Authoritarianism in New Attack on Humanities Scholars

There is virtually no evidence offered in the report for its sweeping conclusions about the entirety of the humanities.

insidehighered.com

Bari Weiss and Cancel Culture

Now that she’s the boss, Weiss has complete power to impose her safetyism on an entire news organization.

insidehighered.com

“Gays for Hamas” and Other Imaginary Signs of the Culture Wars

A reminder that even the smartest people are vulnerable to dumb ideas whenever we start dividing the world into us and them and dismissing our enemies as awful people.

insidehighered.com

An A+ Solution to Grading at Harvard

Limiting the number of A’s Harvard professors can give is a violation of their academic freedom. There are betters ways to tackle grade inflation.

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Free Speech Does Not End at Commencement

Political opinions are not discrimination. Speeches at university-sponsored events are not official actions. Colleges must never be investigated by the government for allowing free expression.

insidehighered.com

Trust Is Not an Academic Value: Mistakes of the Yale Report

Any report devoted to trust in academia is constructed on a flawed foundation.

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Jesse Jackson and “Western Culture” at Stanford with John K. Wilson

Podcast Episode · American Campus Podcast · March 11 · 23m

podcasts.apple.com

The Origins of Institutional Neutrality — Inquisitive

The University of Wisconsin’s 1894 declaration on academic freedom is just as relevant today as it was when it was issued 131 years ago

inquisitivemag.org

Jesse Jackson and the Myth of the Stanford Chant

The story about Jackson and the words he never chanted reveal how easy it is to repeat a lie so often that everyone becomes convinced that it was always true.

insidehighered.com

realclearscience.com

The Hard Truth About FIRE’s Political Mistake

The false narrative that FIRE spread—that only “the on-campus left” endangered free speech within higher education—became the justification for external repression.

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In Defense of Larry Summers and His Critics

Even though Larry Summers is a scumbag, he’s still entitled to academic freedom protections.

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In Defense of Berkeley Instructor Peyrin Kao

UC Berkeley administrators have violated Kao’s academic freedom and the First Amendment in their shameful punishment of him for his free speech.

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Northwestern’s Complicity With the Trump Regime

We need shadow universities to preserve academic values and academic freedom at a time when they are under attack by government officials and campus administrators.

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Partial Victory for Freedom of the Press at Indiana U

While we need to celebrate the win, we also need to recognize how incomplete and temporary it was.

insidehighered.com

Scopes and the creationists with John K. Wilson - American Campus Podcast

From a student of Saul Bellow and Barack Obama.References and suggested readings:John K Wilson. August 2025. “100 Years Ago, the Scopes Monkey Trial Discovered Academic Freedom.” Chronicle of Higher E...

americancampuspodcast.buzzsprout.com

“The Myth of Political Correctness,” 30 Years Later

Looking back, I think my first book’s claims have been proven largely correct over the past three decades.

insidehighered.com

The Compact to Destroy Academic Freedom

The fight against Trump’s totalitarian compact isn’t just a fight for the autonomy and freedom and preservation of American universities.

insidehighered.com

Banned Books Week in the Time of Repression

We need to build an alliance that crosses all boundaries and realize that unless we all stand together to defend everyone against censorship, we will all be vulnerable.

insidehighered.com

The Absurd War on Land Acknowledgements

You don’t have to like them, but prohibiting them is a violation of academic freedom.

chronicle.com

Academic Freedom Under Fire: Constitution Day 2025 Panel on Higher Education & Free Speech

YouTube video by ProjectCensored

youtube.com

The Victory for Harvard Is a Victory for Democracy

A settlement by Harvard now would be not only cowardly but crazy.

insidehighered.com

Censorship at Northwestern Worse After Dreger’s Resignation

Looking back at the Dreger resignation a decade ago, it’s hard to feel optimistic, because censorship on campus is even worse today.

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In Defense of Jonathan Brown

Georgetown suspended a professor for a statement milder than one made by the president of the United States on social media. It should immediately end the practice of arbitrary suspensions without due...

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Why Universities Must Not Capitulate to the Trump Regime

Colleges that settle with the Trump administration have no guarantee of safety from further retaliation.

insidehighered.com

The Dangers of the Manhattan Statement

In his inaugural column, John K. Wilson argues that a conservative groups ‘new contract’ for higher ed risks greater government intrusion into the sector.

insidehighered.com