Tag: academic freedom

Academic Freedom Relegated to the Dustbin of History

Commentary The High Court Of Australia has now unanimously rendered its judgment in the Peter Ridd case. The facts of the Ridd case are well known. James Cook University sacked Peter Ridd, a physics professor, in 2018 for criticising his colleagues’ research on the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef. Professor Ridd went public with…


Australian Marine Geophysicist Loses Battle for Academic Free Speech

Marine geophysicist and Great Barrier Reef (GBR) expert Peter Ridd has lost his appeal to the Australian High Court, which determined that his sacking from James Cook University (JCU) was not a violation of his right to intellectual freedom. Ridd was fired in 2018 after he questioned the quality and reliability assurance processes of his…


Today’s Orthodoxies Put Quotation Marks Around ‘Freedom’

Commentary How revealing a little punctuation mark may be! A recent headline in the left-leaning, once liberal newspaper, the Guardian, ran a story with a headline as follows: “University defends ‘academic freedoms’ after calls to sack professor.” The university was Sussex and the professor was Kathleen Stock, a feminist philosopher. She was accused of the…


UK University Stands by Professor Amid Campaign to Get Her Fired Over View on Gender

A British university has defended one of its professors after a campaign called her “one of this wretched island’s most prominent transphobes” and demanded her to be fired. The University of Sussex said on Thursday that the effort to get philosophy professor Kathleen Stock fired was disturbing and that the university will not tolerate threats to…


UK Equality Act Incentivizes ‘Ideological Uniformity’: Report

Britain’s Equality Act should be amended as it has been interpreted in ways that “incentivize ideological uniformity” rather than true diversity, a conservative think tank has argued. The Equality Act, which was enacted under a Labour government and came into effect in 2010, was intended to protect individuals from discrimination and promote a fairer and…


American Scholars Launches Non-Woke Learning Platform, Forum

A new online education platform, American Scholars, launches on Sept. 10, promising courses on history, economics, law, and other subjects, aimed at helping parents and students to educate themselves about the woke ideology currently spreading through schools. In addition to courses, the platform offers a discussion forum that will aid parents and students to discuss…


Pro-America Group Launches Non-Woke Learning Platform, Forum

A new online education platform, American Scholars, launches on Sept. 10, promising courses on history, economics, law, and other subjects, aimed at helping parents and students to inoculate themselves against the woke ideology currently spreading through schools. In addition to courses, the platform offers a discussion forum that will aid parents and students to discuss…


British Universities Warned Not to Pursue ‘Divisive Agenda’

The UK’s Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has urged British university bosses to help bring the country together rather than “cancelling national heroes” and “debating about statues.” Speaking via video link at the Universities UK (UUK) annual conference on Thursday, Williamson warned university bosses against “driving our nation apart” with their “divisive agenda.” “Too often some…


Non-Disparagement Clauses and How They Hamper Academic Freedom

Commentary Australian universities have reportedly been slow to implement the “Model Code for the Protection of Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom in Australian Higher Education Providers.” Principle 2 of the Code, prepared by former Chief Justice of Australia, Robert French, states that, “a person’s lawful speech on the university’s land or in connection with…


Beijing Surveillance in Australia Universities Rob Students and Academics of Freedom

Just hours after attending a rally in support of Hong Kong’s freedoms, a student from mainland China studying in Australia received a message from a mainland classmate at 2 a.m. saying: “I’m watching you.” Zhang Xiuyang, a pseudonym used for safety, said she had known the classmate for a long time, was aware of their…