FIRE’s latest report indicates attempts by government officials to punish faculty for protected speech have surged to record levels, exceeding the prior 25 years combined. Though many incidents involve overcompliance that was later reversed, the overall volume and state‑directed actions signal a sharp shift toward political control of campus speech.
— A documented spike in state‑driven sanctions reframes campus speech battles as a governance problem with First Amendment stakes, not just intra‑university culture war.
2026.01.16
72% relevant
The newsletter item about Henderson v. Springfield R‑12 (Eighth Circuit reinstatement) ties to the broader tracking of how governments and institutions increasingly sanction or discipline campus actors over speech and ideological conformity; the piece highlights a concrete legal step that draws the constitutional line around compelled ideological training, matching the existing concern about state/administrative pressure on academic freedom.
EditorDavid
2026.01.12
62% relevant
Both pieces document institutional retaliation/pressure against workplace organizing or expression: the Ubisoft closure reads like a corporate analogue to the recent surge in state‑driven sanctions on faculty — an example of organizations using administrative levers to neutralize internal dissent or reorganize personnel after political/ideological conflict. Here the actor is Ubisoft; the action is studio closure two weeks after union vote (74%/71 workers).
Rory O’Sullivan
2026.01.08
62% relevant
Although the existing item documents modern U.S. cases, Thảo’s persecution in his lifetime is a historical parallel: it exemplifies the costs to dissenting scholars when states (colonial or revolutionary) punish intellectuals, and thus connects to the broader discourse on state pressure against academics.
BeauHD
2026.01.06
62% relevant
That idea documents a spike in government‑directed pressure on knowledge institutions; the CPB shutdown is another instance of political actors reshaping public knowledge ecosystems—here by defunding and dissolving a federally chartered body—so both reflect a broader pattern of state pressure altering institutions that produce trusted information.
Lee Jussim
2025.10.04
100% relevant
Examples cited include Texas systems dissolving faculty senates under SB 37, Florida’s directive to punish those ‘celebrating’ the Kirk assassination, and Indiana’s AG launching an 'Eyes on Education' reporting platform.