Professor Says He's Facing University Probe For Doubting Existence Of Newtown Shooting

[Purveyor]

By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 18:51 EST

A tenured professor who controversially claimed the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut never happened is worried that he may now lose his job.

Florida Atlantic University professor James Tracy told the university’s student newspaper that the university plans to have a meeting with him later this week regarding his conspiracy theory, which he published online.

“They’re getting people calling them saying that this person shouldn’t be teaching, he’s an awful person and what have you, so I think that they have to do something,” Tracy told University Press.

“I don’t know what there’s going to be. I don’t know if that would involve stripping me of my tenure and dismissing me, or what. That’s something that’s ultimately for them to decide.”

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Raw Story (http://s.tt/1yyBd)

[The Magistrate]

1. As He Damned Well Should, Sir

"What a nimrod! What a ultra-maroon!"

[malaise]

54. 100% correct Sir

I'd fire him - knowledge is based on empirical evidence

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I'm not at all upset that he is facing a probe. Maybe they should just

screen him for mental health issues.

[FSogol]

3. Haw-Haw!

[Mass]

4. Good.

[grahamhgreen]

5. Send him to the next one to clean up the blood.

Maybe then he'll believe it.

[Arkana]

6. As he fucking should.

Truthers have no place in the classroom.

[Recursion]

7. Wow. DU apparently gets anti-academic freedom pretty quickly

Glad to see the board joining me on the "tenure isn't carte blanche to say whatever the hell you want" side of things; I'm usually alone there.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

22. Doing whatever the hell you want and still being able to keep your job is insanity...

I am against firings based on age or racial/gender/sexual discrimination and all that good stuff...

But never have I agreed with the idea of tenure. If you suck at your job or are hurting the reputation of your university by claiming Newtown was faked... then you should be thrown out on your ass relatively quickly...

And I don't care to scream it from the rooftops.

[derby378]

31. I deal with Holocaust revisionism on occasion, too...

Some of these guys drop in just enough scientific mumbo-jumbo to make themselves seem legit to the mouth-breathers, but that's why we have science to examine all these claims and call the revisionists on any BS.

As Indiana Jones once said, there's fact, and then there's "truth." If you want "truth," the philosophy class is down the hall. It's not anti-academic to simply insist on facts from those who are entrusted to educate our students.

[Electric Monk]

32. Academic freedom =/= making whatever shit up that makes you feel good and calling it reality

[1StrongBlackMan]

33. Now that I work in academia ...

I have had to confront this "I can say whatever I want, without consequence" thing among our tenures staff.

Academic freedom, as presented through tenure, is intended to promote research and the advancement of the body of knowledge; not to allow irresponsible politic speech. The difference being, if this "educator" had proposed or published an academic study about Newtown and concluded that it was a hoax, he would be in-bounds and protected; but to repeat the talking points of an un-, or at best, thinly sourced video, without having done any research himself, is anti-academic and merits no protection.

[jberryhill]

38. +1

[GodlessBiker]

76. +1,000

[Iris]

81. you mean tenured faculty, right?

Faculty are not staff and staff cannot get tenure.

But everything else you say is dead on!

[1StrongBlackMan]

83. Yes ...

I'm referring to tenured faculty.

[Iris]

86. I was also thinking that if this professor had some expertise on the subject,

he might make a comment to the press in that capacity which would be within the realm of his position because of his knowledge; however, that expertise, again, would be based on past and current research.

[1StrongBlackMan]

88. And ...

Most certainly, not a video on the inter-tubes produced by an "investigative reporter" known for spinning fantastic yarns. This guy is an embarassment to academia.

[Iris]

89. I know! It's what most professors would complain about their students doing! n/t

[1StrongBlackMan]

94. Yep ...

Wikipedia is NOT a citable source ... neither is an internet video; unless the topic of the paper is: The Proliferation of Bogus Conspiract Theories into Mainstream Thought.

[jberryhill]

37. Within his field of research, sure

Echoing the comments above, the point of tenure is to provide the freedom to pursue speculative or controversial lines of inquiry in one's area of professed expertise.

It is not carte blanche to be an asshole-at-large.

[obamanut2012]

47. Tenure isn't ironclad, and I don't know why you say that

Tenure doesn't mean someone can do whatever they want, and it never has.

That is a meme anti labor forces like to say, to bust unions and tenure for public employees.

[a la izquierda]

78. Yup.

A bullshit comment I hear from my anti-education, RWNJ brother in law.

[proud2BlibKansan]

48. Ok, he can teach YOUR kids

Get back to us and let us know how well that worked out, okay?

[Recursion]

49. Did you even read my post?

I'm saying can his ass, and I'm glad for once DU agrees with me on this for the most part.

[Buzz Clik]

56. Are you under the impression that academic freedom means to accountability for things said?

If so, you are mistaken.

[Recursion]

57. Not at all, but a lot of DU has been in the past

When the prof is on our side.

[Buzz Clik]

59. Agreed, DU is free from the constraints of consistency.

Ward Churchill is a perfect example.

[Starry Messenger]

67. Who has ever said that tenure means anything goes?

I'm pretty sure most of us tried to make clear that teachers have been and can be fired, with due process, which he's getting.

[Recursion]

69. I was pretty clearly setting up a strawman based on frustration in some (much) earlier threads

about academia. It was inelegant of me, and I'm trying to improve my posting style, so mea culpa.

I have been involved in several discussions on DU where many posters held academic freedom essentially sacrosanct, particularly when the academic is on our side (I'm thinking of Ward Churchill in particular, but there were a couple more).

Anyways, yes, I was attacking a strawman, though for a cause, and I need to stop doing that.

[Starry Messenger]

71. OK, thank you for the explanation.

That was nice of you.

I've been frustrated in the past with people who say that teachers have job security for life and can't be fired, so that was my beef. Looks like we're cool though.

I think it is natural on DU to want to side with an instructor who holds an "our side" point of view, and want to chastise the extreme right-wing teacher like the one in the OP. However, In my real life as a teacher, I really don't proselytize my political views and would expect that if I did, I would probably have meetings with the Dean too. We're really not supposed to impose our views on students in that fashion.

edit to add: looks from downthread like he has lefty cred--but I would still categorize his views as right-wing on this issue. He's playing into already existing memes on the right.

[KamaAina]

68. Academic freedom: saying, for instance, that the shooting might have been due to Prozac

a little out there, to be sure, but well within his rights.

Flat-out denying there was a shooting, or a Holocaust, or that the earth revolves around the sun: FAIL.

[Historic NY]

93. He is collecting a public salary he is answerable as an employee....

perhaps a diploma mill of his choosing is his best recourse.

[russspeakeasy]

8. Why does he have to be from Florida ? Why do we have

all the nuts. It's bad enough we have ricky scott as our leader.

[tosh]

13. Our state truly is a whacko-magnet.

It has always been this way but the whackos used to stay on the fringe. Now they've infested the mainstream of our population.

[Eleanors38]

30. And yet, Obama. Twice.

[JHB]

50. And Bush. Once (but also allowed him to steal it once)

[kairos12]

64. Sorry Florida In the Nut Category You Are Behind Us

The great state of Arizona. Brewer and Arpaio alone puts us in another universe. Never mind the Gifford shooting.

[russspeakeasy]

66. I'll see your Arpaio and raise you one Casey Anthony.

We are the "crazy state".

[Protalker]

80. Look on the bright side!

It's not Texas.

[russspeakeasy]

87. Some times it seems like it is.

[Tikki]

9. If I were paying good money to go to Florida Atlantic University, I wouldn't want..

a crazy gun nut roaming around campus unchecked. If he has no empathy for
the brutal murder of children, he is a head case and needs to make his little stories
away from higher learning.


Tikki
ps..now we have to vet all our professors before we apply at a college.
Isn't that someone(s), besides the students, job.

[Doctor_J]

10. I'm a tenured professor. I am pretty sure I can be fired

for exhibiting signs of insanity.

[LiberalFighter]

41. One of the main differences is that when someone in the teaching profession obtains tenure

there needs to be cause for discharge.

[kiva]

75. Not too sure about that,

since my chair and dean have definitely been showing those signs for years But yeah, tenure does not make us bulletproof and frankly, it shouldn't.

[Angry Dragon]

11. I don't think he is really a professor, was never hired

[randome]

12. Where's his long form doctorate?

[jeff47]

42. I don't think he even exists.

He's a creation of right-wingers designed to aid their attacks on academia.

[Iris]

82. conspiracy to push a conspiracy theory!

gotta love it!

[WinkyDink]

14. Good!

[MotherPetrie]

15. Where is my tiniest violin so I can play him a weepy tune

[jwirr]

16. Freedom of speech aside, this is not someone I would want to have teaching my chidren.

[Aristus]

21. It isn't a free-speech issue; the government is not considering revoking his tenure.

It's the board of the university, which has a right to monitor public statements by their faculty, especially a whack-job like this guy.

[Recursion]

28. Silber thought Zinn's stuff was way out there

and wanted to keep him from making public statements

[1StrongBlackMan]

35. I think Zinn ...

won out because his statements were research based; not based on an internet video.

[Recursion]

36. It was a stalemate

He didn't shut up, but Silber pressured him into retiring earlier than he wanted. Though he still occasionally taught Freshman survey classes when I was in grad school.

But then again the BU administration is screwed seven ways to Sunday, my (female) advisor quit because she kept being asked to get coffee during faculty meetings. Yes, that was engineering, but still.

[Doctor_J]

63. There's no freedom of speech issue

the 1A protects speech from government reprisal. If I tell my boss to fuck off, I cannot be prosecuted but I will most assuredly be fired.

[msanthrope]

17. That's not the probe I'd like him to face. nt

[Chorophyll]

18. The idea that a person like this is teaching at a university makes me sick.

I mean, having "controversial" ideas is one thing. Being a fucking idiot is something else entirely.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

19. Good riddance, professor. nt

[Buzz Clik]

58. Unlikely he will be fired.

[Robb]

20. "Better to face a probe, than to face away from one."

Couldn't happen to a better nutjob.

[tanyev]

70. LOL!

[Robb]

74. Thanks.

I think I might've just coined that.

[niyad]

23. hmmm, now why do I believe that the university isn't really saying anything to him? that this is

an orchestrated action on his part to garner sympathy in advance of a possible backlash? looking deeply into the evidence shows that there is no evidence that the university plans to fire him, or anything else.

see, it works both ways, you incredibly hateful little jerk.

[aquart]

24. Well, yeah. Since he's insane.

[RKP5637]

26. A mental health evaluation would be an excellent start, and if he doesn't comply,

fire his ass.

[Marrah_G]

27. I would say it makes him to fucking stupid to teach anyone.

[appleannie1]

29. People pay a lot of money to be educated not told fantasies by some nut case.

[RiffRandell]

34. I hope he gets shit-canned and never teaches again. n/t

[Bjornsdotter]

39. I'm surprised

...that he's surprised by the investigation.

[snooper2]

40. goes back to my rule, never trust anybody with

two first names

[alcibiades_mystery]

43. Or women named Molly

Oh wait. I think that might just be my thing...

[aikoaiko]

44. Academic Freedom helps him somewhat, but he may have violated university policies

The AAUP Principles of Academic Freedom does include extramural activities and speaking as a citizen, and its more difficult to revoke tenure at public ed universities. But if he represented his views as his university's or otherwise broke university policy then he might have trouble.

The purpose of this statement is to promote public understanding and support of academic freedom and tenure and agreement upon procedures to ensure them in colleges and universities. Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole. 1 The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition.

Academic freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research. Freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Academic freedom in its teaching aspect is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the teacher in teaching and of the student to freedom in learning. It carries with it duties correlative with rights.[1] 2

Tenure is a means to certain ends; specifically: (1) freedom of teaching and research and of extramural activities, and (2) a sufficient degree of economic security to make the profession attractive to men and women of ability. Freedom and economic security, hence, tenure, are indispensable to the success of an institution in fulfilling its obligations to its students and to society.

Academic Freedom
Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties; but research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.
Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject.[2] Limitations of academic freedom because of religious or other aims of the institution should be clearly stated in writing at the time of the appointment.[3]
College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.[4]

http://www.aaup.org/report/1940-statement-principles-academic-freedom-and-tenure

For the record, Newtown conspiracy theories are offensive to me.

[obamanut2012]

45. Good

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Well, he's nuts.

If I was his employer I'd be concerned as well.

[DCBob]

51. Im doubting the existence of his diploma.

[Rider3]

52. He should be removed.

People with beliefs like his make the world a worse, not to mention even dumber, place. Talk to the parents of those little children. See if they think it was all a hoax. What an asshole.

[Dpm12]

53. Of course

Last edited Thu Jan 17, 2013, 03:59 PM - Edit history (1)

They fucking hate you for being a heartless bastard

[Buzz Clik]

55. Academic freedom does not mean freedom from scrutiny.

That was true for Ward Churchill, it is true for this guy.

[RedCloud]

60. Stop being hurtful and disruptive to the discussion, Check his "rap" sheet.

James Tracy
PhD, University of Iowa


Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Areas of Specialization: Media history and analysis, political economy of communication




James Tracy teaches courses examining the relationship between commercial and alternative news media and socio-political issues and events. His recent work has been published in Journalism Practice, Work, Organisation, Labour and Globalisation, and two edited volumes. He is editor of Democratic Communiqué, journal of the Union for Democratic Communications, an affiliate of Project Censored, and a regular contributor to GlobalResearch.ca.



Monograph

Tracy, J. F. “A Historical Case Study of Alternative News Media and Labor Activism: The Dubuque Leader 1935-1939,” Journalism & Communication Monographs 8.4 (2007): 269-343.



Book Chapters

Tracy, J. F. “Censored News Cluster Overview Essay Analysis: Human Costs of War and Violence”, Censored 2013: Sourcebook for the Media Revolution. The Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2011-2012, Mickey Huff and Project Censored, editors. New York: Seven Stories Press (forthcoming October 2012).



Tracy, J.F. “Our Union is Not For Sale: The Postwar Struggle for Workplace Control in the American Newspaper Industry,” in A Moment of Danger: Critical Studies in the History of U.S. Communication Since World War II, Inger Stole and Janice Peck, editors. Milwaukee WI: Marquette University Press, 2011, 57-81.

Tracy, J. F. “Covering Workers: News Media, Labor, and the 2008 Economic Crisis,” in The Propaganda Society: Promotional Culture and Politics in Global Context, Gerald Sussman, editor. New York: Peter Lang, 2011, 267-282.

Recent Articles

Tracy J. F. “Covering ‘Financial Terrorism’: The Greek Debt Crisis in U.S. News Media,” Journalism Practice (Summer 2012, forthcoming).

Tracy, J. F. and M. L. Hayashi. “Librarians of the World Unite? Possibilities and Realities from Florida, USA,” Special Issue Getting the Message: Communication Workers and Global Value Chains, edited by Vincent Mosco and Catherine McKercher, Work, Organisation, Labour and Globalisation 4.2 (2010): 96-110.

[Zoeisright]

72. WE are being hurtful?

This jackass deliberately tried to diminish and dismiss the incredible emotional pain of everyone who lost someone in the Newton Massacre.

I hope he has his nuts nailed to the wall.

[frylock]

61. good

[ellie]

62. They should

The poor dear obviously needs a rest.

[easttexaslefty]

65. And well he should be. n/t

[ReallyIAmAnOptimist]

73. ... I hope he does lose his job--he's an embarrassment, and shouldn't be teaching anybody!

[williamc1967txlib]

77. What is wrong with some people these days?

Was this professor on drugs? Been watching too much Alex Jones nonsense? In any case, it's good that this nut could be fired. Hope he's barred from teaching altogether.

[southernyankeebelle]

79. Now he feel what the poor elderly man who helped 6 children who came to his home and

he helped them. In return this guy puts this crap out and the poor man get holy hell. I think alittle justice for that man would help. Let this professor fess up and tell the truth.

[HiPointDem]

84. The freedom to espouse ideas tolerable to the majority is no freedom at all. What's the use of

tenure if it can be taken away on such grounds?

I don't get all the democrats calling for his blood. Maybe they're not democrats.

[The Straight Story]

85. And some on DU think no planes were there on 9/11

Or that bush made an earthquake....

[2pooped2pop]

90. Should be facing a medical probe. n/t

[jsr]

91. Dumbass needs his head examined.

[ibegurpard]

92. excellent!

someone like that shouldn't be teaching anything anywhere.