Beth is a senior writer for The Chronicle of Education (a news source for college faculty members and administrators) She has her masters in Journalism from Columbia University School of Journalism Her writing focuses on campus culture Problems of binge drinking on college campuses, challenges faced by Catholic colleges, and ways that scholars are influencing public policy The purpose of McMurtries article is to address the issues and restraints that college professors experience when it comes to posting personal thoughts and opinions on social media (She uses Steven Salaitas story as the basis of her argument) She writes about the possibility of providing more free speech protection for professors
Authors Claim and Reasons
The authors claim is that there should be more protections for the professors at universities to speak their minds, but these professors should also think about what they post in this day and age on social media. The reason that the author feels this way is because in recent years there have been several cases of professors voicing their opinion on social media which has lead to controversy. The reason that the author holds this position is because in the past this was not a problem until the invention of the internet and modern social media because the internet has amplified the number of people that can see it and people do not fear to speak out because they are safe behind a keyboard and screen name. Another reason that the author holds this position is because there needs to be a set of rules that are universally understood in the university system for professors to voice their opinion without being blasted on the internet.
The Audience for the Article
Place of publication? The chronicle of higher education Who are his readers? Some readers to this article consist of past readers looking for a follow up on Steven G. Salaita legal case against the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, other university administrations, other professors, students in general. other clues as to who will care? I believe that with the issues brought up in this article regarding social media; that anyone who's trying to get a job or start their career would be interested in this article. This is because this article serves as a prime example as to how one moment or one quote on twitter, facebook, etc. can affect one's entire life. Especial how the world is becoming more socially web based, employers tend to looks at applicant's social media profiles before taking them into consideration for the job.
The Genre and Conventions of the Article
What Kind of Article? This article is an informative article. It discusses the recent controversies of college professors voicing their offensive opinions. Style? The author of the article uses a lot of examples and stories to keep the reader engaged, and to provide enough information for the reader to understand the importance of the topic. The author gives off a serious tone to express the significance of the topic and show that offensive comments do not have a place on social media. Format? The format is much like any other article you will read. It has a title, a picture(s) related to what the article will discuss, sub- headers, and a lot of information and examples throughout the whole article.
Other existing perspectives on the issue that the author
acknowledges In her article, Beth McMurtrie, acknowledges other existing perspectives on the issue. Some of these perspectives include the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Claire Potter, Michael LeRoy, Mr Salaita, and a few other.
McMurtrie acknowledges the American Association
of University Professors perspective based on the responses of its Chairman, Henry Reichman. He believes that the actions of the University were unnecessary and remarks on how the repercussions such as boycotting the university will set a standard for others. Another perspective acknowledged by McMurtrie is that of Claire Potter, who believes that this story will lead to Universities cracking down on professors internet speech. She also believes that people should be more prepared for criticism from all sides. Michael LeRoys perspective points to the unofficial rulings of the universities, due to the fact that they have no written legal standing or boundaries for professors use of social media. Therefore he feels that problems such as this will continue until a standard or ruling is established.
Key Words
Inflammatory Academic Freedom Social Media Legal Case Constitutional rights Political Speech Personal Speech First Amendment