Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) last week earned a “green light” rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Freedom (FIRE), a nonprofit organization that gained fame by defending freedom of speech on college campuses.
A FIRE press release confirms MTSU became the latest university to receive the rating, with the organization noting just 68 other institutions throughout the country have qualified for the “green light” rating it explains” is reserved for institutions with no written policies that seriously imperil student free speech rights.”
MTSU president Sidney McPhee stated that maintaining “a welcoming environment to the free expression of ideas” is an “essential component of what it means to be a successful scholar, an energized citizen and a well-rounded human.”
McPhee additionally confirmed the university worked with FIRE to update its speech policies “to ensure our students have the speech protections they deserve and to achieve this green light rating.”
According to FIRE, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville was the only other school in Tennessee to receive the free speech organization’s “green light” rating.
MTSU earned the distinction despite becoming the subject of controversy last year after the official university newspaper pulled an article by former Tennessee Star reporter Matthew Giffin.
The article reported one student’s concern for family and friends in Tel Aviv after Hamas terrorist fighters attacked innocent civilians in Israel on October 7, 2023, and Giffin told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show it was pulled after pro-Palestine students complained on social media.
“I think it’s safe to say most of them were students,” said Giffin. He explained, “They were saying all these derogatory things about him and even, I believe, they tagged his employer in the comments and trying to get their attention.”
After his article was pulled, Giffin argued in an editorial that antisemitic and pro-Hamas voices are infiltrating even conservative colleges like MTSU.
The Star additionally reported in January that MTSU now offers a “Social Justice Journalism” concentration for undergraduate students pursuing a degree in journalism. The university claims those enrolled will learn “why coverage of the oppressed is necessary and required,” and “how to report on the issues of communities whose stories of injustice and mistreatment receive little to no attention in the press.”
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Middle Tennessee State University” by Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).
