An Abuse of Academic Freedom
The week's news at a glance.
United States
Stanley Fish
The New York Times
Classrooms are no place for mindless propaganda, said law professor Stanley Fish in The New York Times. Yet every time a university professor brimming with kooky conspiracy theories gets caught proselytizing his students, his defenders cry “academic freedom.” The latest brouhaha involves Kevin Barrett, a lecturer on Islam at the University of Wisconsin. Barrett recently acknowledged that he’s been trying to convince students of his “strong conviction” that the Sept. 11 attacks were “perpetrated by the American government.” Outraged state legislators immediately called for Barrett’s dismissal; just as predictably, Barrett’s defenders insisted that teachers have an absolute right to teach as they see fit. But academic freedom is not just another name for freedom of speech. Rather, it is the freedom to teach or study any topic—free of outside interference—in order to subject that topic to rigorous analysis. If Barrett wanted to lead an intellectually honest classroom discussion about the theory that the U.S. government orchestrated 9/11, he is fully entitled to do so. But like journalists, Barrett has an obligation to present all sides of that argument, and let students come to their own conclusions. If he is more interested in promoting his own political views, he’s in the wrong line of work—“not because he’s teaching the ‘wrong’ things, but because he would have abandoned teaching for indoctrination.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The African asylum seekers fighting for Israel in Gaza
Under the Radar 'Quid pro quo' recruitment offer condemned as unethical as Israel seeks to address shortage of soldiers
By The Week Staff Published
-
Instagram rolls out teen accounts with new limits
Speed Read After facing pushback over child safety, Meta announced that all users under 18 will have their Instagram accounts modified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona official sues to bar 100K from local voting
Speed Read A large number of residents who have not submitted citizenship documents might be prevented from voting in the battleground state's elections
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published