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In The News

Spring Update

by | Apr 15, 2026 |

Spring Update from the AFA As summer approaches, we want to take a moment to update you on the latest developments in our movement for academic freedom.  New Guidance Statement on IRBs In March, we released a new guidance statement urging universities and their...

Year-End Update 2025

by | Dec 30, 2025 |

Year-End Update from the AFA As 2025 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect on the year behind us, when the threats facing academic freedom evolved dramatically. Here is how we fought to defend freedom of thought, inquiry, expression, and discussion on...

October 2025

by | Nov 11, 2025 |

October Update from the AFA Annual Conference in Princeton We had another successful conference last month in Princeton, gathering around 20 participants for interesting discussions and presentations on a range of topics. For example, David Rabban presented on the...

September 2025

by | Sep 30, 2025 |

September Update from the AFA We are off to a busy start to the new semester, with one new public case and several requests under consideration. The speech climate on campuses has grown increasingly contentious following the recent political violence and the ongoing...

July 2025

by | Aug 5, 2025 |

July Update from the AFA We hope everyone is enjoying their summer months. As we look ahead to a new academic year, the AFA continues to support faculty in ongoing disputes while preparing for the new challenges that inevitably await. July was a quieter month on our...

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Please direct all media inquiries to: press@academicfreedom.org
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Rebuilding a Culture of Academic Freedom - A Conversation with Keith Whittington

Law and Liberty Podcast, June 1, 2021

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Keith Whittington - Fighting for Faculty Freedom

Two for Tea Podcast
May 16, 2021

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Some Academic Freedom Victories

Keith E. Whittington, Reason
May 5, 2021

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Professors Are Demanding Their Academic Freedom (And That’s A Good Thing For The Rest Of Us)

Emily Chamlee-Wright, Forbes
April 16, 2021

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Freedom and Wokeness on Campus: Academic Freedom Alliance chair Keith Whittington discusses how to preserve freedom of speech and humane discourse.

PBS, The Open Mind
April 12, 2021

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Free Speech Is Under Threat on College Campuses. Here’s How to Fight Back.

Keith E. Whittington, National Review 
March 18, 2021

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Fresh Hope for Campus Free Speech

Editorial Board, New York Post
March 15, 2021

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A Star Is Born!!! The Academic Freedom Alliance

Richard Vedder, Forbes Magazine
March 15, 2021

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College Educators Form Alliance to Defend Free Expression

Voice of America
March 13, 2021

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Academic Freedom Alliance: A Welcome Addition to Fight for Campus Expression

Peter Bonilla, FIRE
March 12, 2021

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Speaking the Truth: Heed the Words of Frederick Douglass

Lucas E. Morel, Persuasion
March 12, 2021

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More Defenders of Campus Free Speech

Wall Street Journal
March 9, 2021

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New Nonpartisan Faculty Group Will Promote and Defend Free Speech, Academic Freedom

Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed
March 9, 2021

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Academic Freedom Alliance: Q & A with Keith Whittington

Princetonians For Free Speech
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Alliance to Defend Free Expression

Hillel Italie, AP News
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Free Speech Alliance to Counter Cancel Culture and Viewpoint Suppression

Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Free Speech Alliance to Counter Cancel Culture and Viewpoint Suppression

Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Free Speech Alliance to Counter Cancel Culture and Viewpoint Suppression

Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Free Speech Alliance to Counter Cancel Culture and Viewpoint Suppression

Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Free Speech Alliance to Counter Cancel Culture and Viewpoint Suppression

Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Free Speech Alliance to Counter Cancel Culture and Viewpoint Suppression

Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Free Speech Alliance to Counter Cancel Culture and Viewpoint Suppression

Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner
March 8, 2021

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College Educators Form Free Speech Alliance to Counter Cancel Culture and Viewpoint Suppression

Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner
March 8, 2021

AFA News

AFA Sends Letter to Texas State After Firing of Professor

Sep 17, 2025 |

AFA Sends Letter to Texas State After Firing of Professor Prof. Thomas Alter fired after speaking at socialism conference Princeton, NJ – The Academic Freedom Alliance today sent a letter to Texas State University after it terminated a professor over his speech at a...

AFA Statement on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Sep 15, 2025 |

AFA Statement on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk The assassination of Charlie Kirk was an attack on freedom of speech and, therefore, an attack on a vital practice of American universities. The Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA) condemns this heinous murder. Mr. Kirk...

Opinion and Commentary

image of a college campus, stone archway looking out to a green quad with trees
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Free Speech Is a Core Tenet of the Academy. College Trustees Really Ought to Know That.

Keith E. Whittington, The Chronicle of Higher Education
December 5, 2018

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Truth Seeking, Democracy, and Freedom of Thought and Expression

A Statement by Robert P. George and Cornel West
March 14, 2017

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Academics Are Really, Really Worried About Their Freedom

John McWhorter, The Atlantic 
September 1, 2020

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Free Speech Prevails at Princeton

Robert P. George, First Things
July 28, 2020

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Protecting Academic Freedom in the Black Lives Matter Era

Jonathan Zimmerman, Inside Higher Ed
June 22, 2020

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The Legal Problem With Diversity Statements

Brian Leiter, The Chronicle of Higher Education
March 13, 2020

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Can We Guarantee That Colleges Are Intellectually Diverse?

Molly Worthen, The New York Times
August 30, 2019

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Unpopular Speech in A Cold Climate

Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker
March 14, 2019 

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How a Dispute Over the N-Word Became a Dispiriting Farce

Randall Kennedy, The Chronicle of Higher Education
February 8, 2019

The AFA does not endorse or take any position on the content or opinions represented in these works.

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Individuals at academic institutions should not fear suppression or retaliation for teaching, writing, or speaking. We encourage you to join the movement in supporting the flourishing of intellectual life and the pursuit of knowledge and truth at institutions of higher learning.

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