Self-censorship should command the public’s attention. The fact that it is occurring should generate vigorous support for faculty at New Jersey’s institutions of higher learning.
Many state residents are graduates of these institutions. They expect that, sooner or later, their children will follow them. If they want those children to have the same rigorous, challenging educational experiences they once had, they need to fight for it now.
Professors are choosing to censor themselves. Many fear administrators may capitulate to Trump’s demands — or the mere threat of them — and worry that students might record classroom remarks deemed “unacceptable” in the current environment, putting their jobs at risk.
Unsurprisingly, a recent New York Times headline — “Professors Are Changing What They Teach, Even Far From Trump’s Gaze” — has echoed across the internet.
The subtle rise of self-censorship
In “Teaching Truth in an Era of Self-Censorship,” Walter Bowne illuminates the subtle ways educators are pressured into silencing themselves through administrative and community influence.
A study published in the journal Sage, “Taboos and Self-Censorship Among U.S. Psychology Professors,” found that nearly all professors fear social sanctions for expressing their empirical beliefs. Notably, tenured professors report levels of self-censorship and fear of repercussions comparable to those of their untenured colleagues — including fear of losing their jobs.
While overt threats to academic freedom often attract public attention, self-censorship is a quieter and more troubling trend.
Given the MAGA-era environment and the potential fallout from public attacks, perhaps it should not come as a surprise. Still, a recent report from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, known as FIRE, is deeply disturbing.
One in five faculty members reported being likely to self-censor in professional contexts — whether in conversations, academic research, lectures, emails or other forums. And this is not just a response to ridicule or opposition. FIRE notes that many faculty members are preemptively silencing themselves in their own research and writing.
What the data shows
FIRE’s latest report, “Silence in the Classroom,” reveals just how one-sided classroom discourse has become.
The study examined 55 major colleges and universities nationwide, including several in New Jersey, and surveyed more than 6,000 faculty members. Among its findings:
Thirty-five percent said they had recently toned down their writing out of fear of controversy, compared with 9% of faculty who reported the same during the McCarthy era.
Twenty-seven percent said they feel unable to speak freely because of concerns about responses from students, administrators or colleagues.
Forty percent worry about damage to their reputations if something they say or do is misunderstood.
A senior colleague at Rutgers told me she is “very alarmed by the degree of self-censorship that goes on — including camouflaging the nature of research and relabeling course offerings.”
What complicates matters further, she said, is a reluctance to engage in activity that might draw unwanted attention to the campus. She declined to elaborate on what that attention might entail.
Threats old and new
Threats to academic freedom have existed in many forms for decades. Another colleague, defiant in his defense of free inquiry and refusing to censor himself, told me he believes that “the atmosphere of conformity, timidity and fear is harming the educational system.”
In recent years, a newer form of intimidation has emerged with Turning Point USA and its Professor Watchlist. The effort seeks to accuse, intimidate and shame faculty, often fueled by student recruits who gather “evidence” to ostracize their instructors — and, if possible, have them fired — for allegedly discriminating against conservative students or promoting so-called anti-American values. Unsurprisingly, such efforts encourage self-censorship.
Why it matters beyond campus
Threats to free speech do not end at the campus gate — they affect us all. When students are no longer exposed to a variety of viewpoints and faculty feel compelled to limit their speech on and off campus, democracy itself is at risk.
Censoring ourselves is indefensible, regardless of the threats. Silencing voices weakens academic freedom and undermines education.
We need decisive action from college and university leaders, governing boards and the public to ensure freedom of speech — including uncensored teaching in our classrooms. We should demand nothing less.
No threat is worth losing the free expression of ideas.