MSNBC Discovers Free Speech is Good, Sometimes
The MSNBC opinion piece laments Donald Trump's proposed 'compact' with universities, an alleged threat to academic freedom and free speech. This hand-wringing (from a network that routinely amplifies voices demanding censorship of pro-Palestinian speech) is peak irony. Less than a year ago, the House, with bipartisan support, passed H.R. 6090, weaponizing antisemitism definitions to target speech
critical of Israeli government policies on college campuses. This bill, strongly backed by AIPAC (which funneled over $17 million in lobbying to Congress in 2023, according to OpenSecrets.org), aims to chills speech. Where was MSNBC's impassioned plea against that devil's bargain? The media establishment's sudden concern for campus free speech rings hollow when they simultaneously champion
legislation designed to criminalize dissent. It appears 'academic freedom' is only sacrosanct when it's not disrupting the carefully curated narrative or challenging the foreign policy status quo. Perhaps they meant 'free speech for me, but not for thee.'