Bradford Vivian
@bradvivian.bsky.social
Prof/Author/Speaker (academic freedom, free speech, democracy)
*Author _Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education_ (Oxford UP)
*Op-eds: TIME, Washington Post, The Chronicle, Inside Higher Ed, Philadelphia Inquirer
*Author _Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education_ (Oxford UP)
*Op-eds: TIME, Washington Post, The Chronicle, Inside Higher Ed, Philadelphia Inquirer
I’m not being snarky…I literally don’t know what to say about this other than emphasizing that it has *nothing* to do with teaching and learning.
#EduSky
#EduSky
October 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
I’m not being snarky…I literally don’t know what to say about this other than emphasizing that it has *nothing* to do with teaching and learning.
#EduSky
#EduSky
The definition of “viewpoint diversity” that figures like this promote implies *censorship* (the “must” part): curbing some forms of expression to boost others. It’s an invention of orgs who advocate government censorship of teaching/research + restrictions on protected political speech in colleges.
October 20, 2025 at 12:13 AM
The definition of “viewpoint diversity” that figures like this promote implies *censorship* (the “must” part): curbing some forms of expression to boost others. It’s an invention of orgs who advocate government censorship of teaching/research + restrictions on protected political speech in colleges.
Oh, I have to see this…
October 15, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Oh, I have to see this…
@postopinions.bsky.social Ed Board could more accurately state its position on the “contract” w/universities by saying that it partially sympathizes with, or supports, the idea of compelling sweeping changes to university policy for ideological purposes (or that the board is partly pro-censorship).
October 5, 2025 at 1:42 PM
@postopinions.bsky.social Ed Board could more accurately state its position on the “contract” w/universities by saying that it partially sympathizes with, or supports, the idea of compelling sweeping changes to university policy for ideological purposes (or that the board is partly pro-censorship).
A potentially historic example of how manufacturing misinformation about universities is a reliable path to power and influence right now—and why that animus against universities is a symptom of broader threats to vital systems of public information + collective senses of fact, truth, and meaning.
October 2, 2025 at 11:01 PM
A potentially historic example of how manufacturing misinformation about universities is a reliable path to power and influence right now—and why that animus against universities is a symptom of broader threats to vital systems of public information + collective senses of fact, truth, and meaning.
I admit it: I laughed as soon as I saw this.
August 27, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I admit it: I laughed as soon as I saw this.
Brief reminder that I'll be participating in the @sagepub.com Critical Thinking Bootcamp next week, discussing how to recognize misinformation about universities. (Thanks so much to Sage for inviting me.)
Full info and registration here: www.sagepub.com/our-initiati...
#EduSky
Full info and registration here: www.sagepub.com/our-initiati...
#EduSky
August 7, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Brief reminder that I'll be participating in the @sagepub.com Critical Thinking Bootcamp next week, discussing how to recognize misinformation about universities. (Thanks so much to Sage for inviting me.)
Full info and registration here: www.sagepub.com/our-initiati...
#EduSky
Full info and registration here: www.sagepub.com/our-initiati...
#EduSky
August 2, 2025 at 5:57 PM
My latest on Substack re: GMU, diversity, and academic freedom.
bradfordvivian.substack.com/p/an-open-le...
#EduSky
bradfordvivian.substack.com/p/an-open-le...
#EduSky
July 26, 2025 at 7:04 PM
My latest on Substack re: GMU, diversity, and academic freedom.
bradfordvivian.substack.com/p/an-open-le...
#EduSky
bradfordvivian.substack.com/p/an-open-le...
#EduSky
A big problem with the “viewpoint diversity” crowd: they show poor understanding of historical/political context re: the quote below. Putin long sought to undermine the academic freedom of university social sciences in Russia, Ukraine. Trump’s use of antisemitism, etc., imitates Putin’s propaganda.
June 26, 2025 at 2:25 PM
A big problem with the “viewpoint diversity” crowd: they show poor understanding of historical/political context re: the quote below. Putin long sought to undermine the academic freedom of university social sciences in Russia, Ukraine. Trump’s use of antisemitism, etc., imitates Putin’s propaganda.
Some day I hope to find out what "woke culture" is.
June 24, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Some day I hope to find out what "woke culture" is.
Why is @chronicle.com promoting this as an event on #freeexpression and #viewpointdiversity?
Pinker misrepresents and dismisses the work of entire academic fields with which he disagrees ideologically + advocates a definition of viewpoint diversity that eliminates newer academic perspectives. 1/
Pinker misrepresents and dismisses the work of entire academic fields with which he disagrees ideologically + advocates a definition of viewpoint diversity that eliminates newer academic perspectives. 1/
June 19, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Why is @chronicle.com promoting this as an event on #freeexpression and #viewpointdiversity?
Pinker misrepresents and dismisses the work of entire academic fields with which he disagrees ideologically + advocates a definition of viewpoint diversity that eliminates newer academic perspectives. 1/
Pinker misrepresents and dismisses the work of entire academic fields with which he disagrees ideologically + advocates a definition of viewpoint diversity that eliminates newer academic perspectives. 1/
Not accredited. Not granting degrees. So, not really a university—whatever bold experiment it claims to be involved in.
June 11, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Not accredited. Not granting degrees. So, not really a university—whatever bold experiment it claims to be involved in.
Can’t believe we’re still doing this.
Obsessing over profs/students’ private political views is an accessory to McCarthyism. Has no bearing on their performance in classes, research.
The best way to promote real intellectual diversity on campuses? Never define it by narrow political stereotypes.
Obsessing over profs/students’ private political views is an accessory to McCarthyism. Has no bearing on their performance in classes, research.
The best way to promote real intellectual diversity on campuses? Never define it by narrow political stereotypes.
April 10, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Can’t believe we’re still doing this.
Obsessing over profs/students’ private political views is an accessory to McCarthyism. Has no bearing on their performance in classes, research.
The best way to promote real intellectual diversity on campuses? Never define it by narrow political stereotypes.
Obsessing over profs/students’ private political views is an accessory to McCarthyism. Has no bearing on their performance in classes, research.
The best way to promote real intellectual diversity on campuses? Never define it by narrow political stereotypes.
This is a work of art.
April 2, 2025 at 1:31 PM
This is a work of art.
EXCELLENT question.
March 21, 2025 at 11:32 AM
EXCELLENT question.
How we got here, in part.
March 14, 2025 at 2:35 PM
How we got here, in part.
Thank you to my new followers! Some brief background:
My book, "Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education," argued that popular misinformation about higher ed from the late 2010s thru the early 2020s was a warning sign of rising authoritarian sentiment. 1/3
My book, "Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education," argued that popular misinformation about higher ed from the late 2010s thru the early 2020s was a warning sign of rising authoritarian sentiment. 1/3
March 11, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Thank you to my new followers! Some brief background:
My book, "Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education," argued that popular misinformation about higher ed from the late 2010s thru the early 2020s was a warning sign of rising authoritarian sentiment. 1/3
My book, "Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education," argued that popular misinformation about higher ed from the late 2010s thru the early 2020s was a warning sign of rising authoritarian sentiment. 1/3
Does it, though?
February 20, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Does it, though?
Years’ worth of misinformed, distorted, and sometimes simply false reports from @theatlantic.com @nytimes.com etc. about the “dangers” of DEI in universities helped pave the way for this kind of renewed McCarthyism in the federal system.
January 23, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Years’ worth of misinformed, distorted, and sometimes simply false reports from @theatlantic.com @nytimes.com etc. about the “dangers” of DEI in universities helped pave the way for this kind of renewed McCarthyism in the federal system.
If only there was some way to determine if his historical references were accurate or not—perhaps with fact-checking institutions or even some digital search engine.
January 18, 2025 at 2:55 PM
If only there was some way to determine if his historical references were accurate or not—perhaps with fact-checking institutions or even some digital search engine.