In “Chicago State to faculty: Don’t talk to press” (Chicago Tribune, April 06, 2012), Jodi S. Cohen reports, “New policy requires administration approval for most communication violates free speech, experts say”:
The publicly funded Chicago State University has instructed its faculty and staff that only authorized university representatives can share information with the media and that everything from opinion pieces to social media communications could require prior approval.
The policy applies to media interviews, opinion pieces, newsletters, social media and other types of communications, stating that they must be approved by the university’s division of public relations. “All disclosures to the media will be communicated by an authorized CSU media relations officer or designate,” the policy says.
Failure to follow the rules “will be treated as serious and will result in disciplinary action, possible termination and could give rise to civil and/or criminal liability on the part of the employee.”
We haven’t heard yet that this is a joke, but the policy is said to be under review.
What goes around comes around. If profs didn’t care if colleagues with currently unpopular views became targets or if students did, they were setting themselves up for this.
Note: Chicago State University is not to be confused with the University of Chicago, which is still governed by normal persons, we are told.
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