There is absolutely no question that conservative students face censorship and viewpoint discrimination far more often than their liberal counterparts on college campuses. It’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise. This is an issue Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rightfully committed to tackling, lamenting in a speech at Georgetown University Law earlier this fall that “the American university” is “transforming into an echo chamber of political correctness and homogeneous thought.”
Even given the clear imbalance disadvantaging conservatives on campus, Sessions accurately acknowledged “the crackdown on speech crosses creeds, races, issues, and religions” in his September remarks.
On Friday, BuzzFeed News checked-in on the progress of Sessions’ efforts, publishing a report claiming the attorney general has given “selective attention” to free speech cases involving conservatives.
Based on what? Primarily a sample size containing two statements of interests filed by the Justice Department, and his relatively limited base of public comments on the matter.
The report carefully tried to rely on experts to make its argument, but went so far as to explicitly allege Sessions has practiced selectivity in his efforts. “Sessions’ selective attention has particularly troubled civil rights activists who believe the attorney general has not done enough to defend the rights of black students, especially during national anthem protests,” Dominic Holden wrote (emphasis added).
The article then quoted an ACLU attorney who agreed “[t]he principle of what he’s actually doing is a positive and should be a win for everyone,” but complained Sessions has focused on campuses, a tactic that allows him to narrow in on liberal speech policing.
That, of course, is a different argument than whether Sessions’ campus campaign is balanced, though by acknowledging the inherent imbalance in violations against conservatives and liberals it only explains why his efforts will necessarily benefit conservatives more.
Explaining the two cases where the DOJ has filed statements of interest, the article proceeds to quote Elliot Mincberg, a senior fellow at the liberal People for the American Way, saying “I’m not suggesting the Justice Department is wrong in its legal analysis here, but it’s a bit interesting and odd that they are picking these two cases to devote these kinds of recourses to if there weren’t something of a political agenda.”
Again, this is a sample size of two cases.
The article then listed two incidents involving student protests of the national anthem, questioning why Sessions failed to weigh in on either case while filing statements in the others and publicly decrying several additional incidents involving conservatives. Again, the sample size is small, the campaign is fairly new, and, more importantly, Sessions is rightly prioritizing the students who are more often targeted by censors.
In an especially amusing admission, the article also noted “[n]o lawyers interviewed by BuzzFeed News for this article knew of any active federal lawsuit that involves a student who was restricted on a public campus for engaging in a progressive form of speech,” though insisted on continuing, “But civil rights activists are still frustrated Sessions has not used his platform to back students in several high-profile instances.”
This is an exercise in straw grasping. It should also be a reminder that no matter how objectively laudable an initiative undertaken by the Trump administration is, some in the media will find a way to criticize it.
