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Past Campaigns

Emerson College Must Appoint a President Who Supports ‘Diverse Ideas’ and ‘Free Expression’

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University presidents wield substantial power to promote — or limit — free expression on American college campuses. The future president of Emerson College in Boston, MA, is no exception: Whoever assumes this role will inherit the challenge of protecting student free speech on a campus with an unfortunate track record of limiting it. Over the past year and a half, Emerson has been embroiled in substantial controversy for suppressing student expression. Despite receiving multiple letters from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) listing concerns about its actions, Emerson has doubled and tripled down on campus censorship. Emerson’s own Community Standards affirm that “[a]s an institution dedicated to Communication and the Arts, the First Amendment of the US Constitution is of high importance.” The college’s actions over the past 18 months, however, call that commitment into question, even earning Emerson a place on FIRE’s 2022 list of the “10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech.” Now, as Emerson searches for a new university president, its Presidential Search Prospectus describes “[a]ppreciation for diverse ideas and the free expression of them” as a “non-negotiable value” underpinning the college’s search. To ensure that Emerson holds fast to this commitment, the New Tolerance Campaign is partnering with FIRE to empower students, alumni, and concerned citizens to voice their support for a pro-free speech president at Emerson. Tell Emerson’s Presidential Search Committee to fulfill its duty and appoint a president who supports free expression! UPDATE (01/12/23): Emerson College announced the appointment of Dr. Jay M. Bernhardt as the school’s next president. Our allies at FIRE are vetting Dr. Bernhardt for his record on support for different views and free speech on campus. Check back for updates!

Past Campaigns

Morningstar Revises Antisemitic Policy Following NTC Action

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In October 2022, 17 state attorney generals sent a scathing letter to Morningstar’s lawyers sharing concerns that the company’s subsidiary Sustainalytics is using ESG ratings to deny investment in corporations with ties to Israel. The ratings “draw no distinction between companies that operate in certain parts of Israel and those that operate in countries responsible for horrific human rights abuses,” the letter states, outlining how Morningstar views investment in Israeli companies on the same level as China, Russia, and Iran. Following work encompassing Jewish advocacy organizations and NTC grassroots action, Morningstar announced on Oct. 31, 2022 that it would be revising its policy.       [Photo credit: Montecruz Foto, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr (cropped)]

Past Campaigns

Thank Penguin Books for Keeping Amy Coney Barrett’s Book Deal and Defending Free Speech

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So-called human rights activists and literary professionals signed an open letter demanding that Penguin Random House rescind Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s book deal. The letter states, “…we are calling on Penguin Random House to recognize its own history and corporate responsibility commitments by reevaluating its decision to move forward with publishing Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s forthcoming book.” But on October 31, the publishing house made it clear that they would not bend to the demands of the censoring mob. “PEN America rejects calls for the cancellation of a planned book by Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett,” the company said in a statement. “It is the role of major publishers to make available a wide array of ideas and perspectives. In so doing, they afford readers, critics, historians, and journalists insight that can help elucidate truths, expose falsehoods, and deepen our understanding of consequential individuals and events.” Still, those who seek to scrap Justice Barrett’s tome remain undeterred. The letter calling for the termination of her book deal remains open and continues to amass signatures. At this moment, when censorship is gaining alarming ground over open debate, Penguin Random House should be commended for standing with intellectual integrity and a commitment to diverse views. Send a message to CEO Markus Dohle and Penguin Random House leadership thanking the company for supporting intellectual freedom — and encourage the publishing house to stay strong! [Photo credit: Rachel Malehorn, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)]

News

Daily Signal: Watchdog Group Calls Out Investment Giant Morningstar for Reputed Anti-Israel Bias

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The New Tolerance Campaign, which encourages “Americans to confront intolerance double standards by establishment institutions, civil rights groups, universities, and socially conscious brands,” claims that investment giant Morningstar is discriminating against Israel through “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” activism. Read more coverage in the Daily Signal here.

News

The College Fix: Watchdog group pushes for Emerson student publication to change course, allow op-ed

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A free speech activism watchdog group recently started a campaign calling on the student newspaper at Emerson College to publish a piece written by conservative students that has been rejected for about a year. The group, New Tolerance Campaign, urges its supporters to encourage the student newspaper, the Berkeley Beacon, to allow the op-ed in the name of journalism ethics. Read more coverage in The College Fix here.

Past Campaigns

Journalistic Ethics Require Berkeley Beacon to Run Student Rebuttal

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Last fall, NTC advocates jumped into action when Emerson College derecognized the school’s TPUSA affiliate. The center-right student organization’s offense? They distributed stickers critical of the oppressive communist government of China. The group continues to push to have their charter reinstated, but the attacks against them from fellow students continue. The school’s student newspaper the Berkeley Beacon published an op-ed filled with smears against TPUSA and its student membership. When Emerson’s TPUSA chapter President Sam Neves asked to run a rebuttal, the response from Editor-in-Chief Vivi Smilgius was . . . NO. Ms. Smilgius cited concerns about instances of “defamation,” “misinformation,” “aggression towards a named individual,” and “questionable conjecture” in Neves’ proposed retort — but the Berkeley Beacon applied no such standards to Mr. Chen’s piece, which asserted TPUSA promotes “racist” views, is guilty of “spreading falsehoods,” termed TPUSA’s founder Charlie Kirk a “con artist,” and questioned whether the very “existence” of TPUSA should be allowed. New Tolerance Campaign President Gregory T. Angelo attempted to work with the Berkeley Beacon quietly behind-the-scenes to resolve this matter, but the Beacon refuses to act in good faith. Now, the newspaper needs to hear from you. Journalistic ethics dictate that, at the very least, the school’s TPUSA chapter be afforded the ability to respond in print to the accusations made against its members. Send a message to Berkeley Beacon Editor-in-Chief Vivi Smilgius: Journalistic ethics require that the Berkeley Beacon allow TPUSA to respond to its published allegations!

News

Just the News: American Express goes woke, promotes left’s priorities on climate, race, border

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According to Gregory Angelo, president of the New Tolerance Campaign, documents show American Express tied 15% of executive bonuses to a “colleague” metric of “talent retention and diversity representation,” apparently incentivizing managers to hire and retain employees based in part on their sex, race, and other demographic information. Read more in Just the News here.

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