Academic Freedom Media Review – March 11 – 16, 2012

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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AAUP Will Investigate U. of Northern Iowa Over Faculty Cuts
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/16
Scholars at Risk calls for letters on behalf of imprisoned Iranian scholars
Scholars at Risk, 3/16
Chicago State U. Is Ordered to Reinstate Adviser to Student Newspaper
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/15
Cambridge student protester suspended from University until 2014
Emily Loud, The Cambridge Student, 3/15
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Academic Freedom Media Review – February 25 – March 2, 2012

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Virginia court rejects sceptic’s bid for climate science emails
Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian, 3/2
Yale Professors Want Singapore Campus to Protect Human Rights
Oliver Staley, Bloomberg News, 3/2
Excellence – but those missing out don’t see it that way
Frances Mechan-Schmidt, Times Higher Education, 3/1
African leader wants end to ‘slave trade’ in education /
Phil Baty, Times Higher Education, 3/1
Student singled out for punishment over Willetts protest
Judith Welikala, The Cambridge Student, 3/1
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Academic Freedom Media Review, February 18-24, 2012

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Sociologists Back Scholars in Oral History Case /
Inside Higher Ed, 2/24
Bryn Mawr Will Host Artist Barred by Villanova
Inside Higher Ed, 2/24
Sudan’s University of Khartoum to re-open on 18 March
Sudan Tribune, 2/23
Urgent Action: Academic Detained in Sudan
Amnesty International, 2/23
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Academic Freedom Media Review, February 11-17, 2012

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Syria ‘arrests iconic blogger Razan Ghazzawi and leading activists’
The Telegraph, 2/16
US for-profit universities ‘unworthy of the name’
Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 2/16
Faculty Cry Foul Over Intellectual-Property Policy at U. of Louisiana System
Katherine Mangan, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/16
Leak Offers Glimpse of Campaign Against Climate Science
Justin Gillis and Leslie Kaufman, The New York Times, 2/15
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SAR Academic Freedom Media Review, January 28 – February 3, 2012

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available at here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Up by his bootstraps
Corydon Ireland, Harvard Gazette, 2/2

Scottish universities facing ‘politicisation by SNP’
Simon Johnson, The Telegraph, 2/2
Among the Majority
Michael Berube, Inside Higher Ed, 2/1
Shared Dissonance
Kaustuv Basu, Inside Higher Ed, 2/1
Quiet revolution, but tasks loom
Glenn Withers, The Australian, 2/1
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SAR Academic Freedom Media Review, December 10 – 16, 2011

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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EUROPE: Block Belarus bid to join HE area – Students
Brendan O’Malley, University World News, 12/16
NIGERIA: Striking academics close public universities
Tunde Fatunde, University World News, 12/16
Christian Bale Attacked by Chinese Guards
Andrew Jacobs, The New York Times, 12/16
EGYPT: Tough challenges for new universities minister
Ashraf Khaled, University World News, 12/15
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Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review – December 3-9, 2011

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Kazakh University Students To Sue Over Hijab Ban
Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, 12/9

Russian Case Against Researcher Of Soviet Germans Closed
Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, 12/8

Postcards For Jailed Dissidents
Xin Yu, Radio Free Asia, 12/8

Over the Line
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, 12/8

Questions raised on Arab education
Iman Sherif, Gulf News, 12/8

Texas Argues Against Supreme Court Review of Its Use of Race in Admissions
Peter Schmidt, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/8

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Academic Freedom Media Review – November 12 – 18, 2011

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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Ai Weiwei investigated over nude art
Jonathan Watts, The Guardian, 11/18
English universities enjoy ‘most freedom’ in Europe
Jack Grove, Times Higher Education, 11/17
CHILE: Opposition and students unveil reform plan
María Elena Hurtado, University World News, 11/17
East and West, African sector a middle-class fortress
David Matthews, Times Higher Education, 11/17
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Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review, October 28-November 4, 2011

The media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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TURKEY 11/3/11: Ragip Zarakolu releases public letter from prison
PEN, 11/3
Russian Terror Law Has Unlikely Targets
Sophia Kishkovksy, The New York Times, 11/3
Climate change scientist Michael Mann fends off sceptic group’s raid on emails
Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian, 11/2
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Campaign Ads, Satirical Magazines and Religious Intolerance

I’m used to negative politics and personal attack ads.  The strategy of attacking your opponents character is probably as old as politics itself, but it’s gotten particularly virulent in recent years.  Unfortunately, it’s seldom elucidating in terms of someone’s ability to govern.  Women and men who have made mistakes in their past or who have truly disastrous personal lives, may well be effective policy makers.  At the very least, though, we ought to be able to expect these personal attacks to be factual, and far too often they aren’t.  Just follow FactCheck.org or Politifact.com and you will see far to many examples of ads called to task for being untrue.
Sadly, I’ve grown used to these.  They disgust me, but they don’t infuriate me.  What does enrage me is negative campaigning the resounds beyond the campaign and affects our society more broadly.  This is advertising that plays on fear, intolerance and ignorance, impugning the character not only of an individual candidate but of an entire race, religion, ethnicity, or other group.  In a particularly egregious example, popular Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, a Democrat and a Muslim, is now being challenged in the race by Gary Boisclair, an anti-abortion activist, and member of Randall Terry’s Society for Truth and Justice (STJ), one of 25 candidates they are running in carefully selected advertising markets, less in hopes of getting the candidate elected than as a cover for running explicit anti-abortion tv advertising.  It’s a sleazy but clever strategy, one that the organization itself cops to.  I kind of admire it.  But Bosclair is also using campaign ads promote a Islamophobic agenda, running ads that explicitly attack Ellison’s religion, and that is unacceptable.
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