ON THE SHORES OF A MUDDY RIVER

Even as he prepares to investigate the time the alleged Detroit bomber spent at UCL, Malcolm Grant argues that intellectual freedom on campus cannot be compromised.

“Other UK newspaper comment accuses us at UCL of being “complicit” in the radicalisation of Muslim students; and, again, of “failing grotesquely” to prevent extremists from giving lectures on campus. Mr Abdulmutallab’s presidency of the UCL student Islamic Society is further condemned for having provoked debate about the war against terror. It is a delicious irony that a theme that has sold so many national newspapers should now be declared by them to be unacceptable for student debate.

The US media, on the other hand, have in general been studiously careful in reviewing facts and in ensuring that comment is underpinned by evidence.

Their example needs to be more widely observed.”

Of all the things I thought I’d never hear the American media accused of … being reasonable? Typical anti-intellectual all-caps rants follow in the comments. [via Times Higher Education Supplement]