Ep. 10 Jason Riley on Being ‘Disinvited’ from Campus

Earlier this year, Jason Riley was “disinvited” from speaking at
Virginia Tech due to concerns that his writings on race would
spark campus protests.


The Wall Street Journal columnist, Fox News commentator, and
Manhattan Institute senior fellow wasn’t alone in seeing an
invitation to speak on campus be revoked due to concerns that his
appearance might prove controversial. He was in distinguished
company.


Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, columnist George
Will, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, and
hip hop artist Common were all similarly disinvited from speaking
on a college campus in recent years.


These disinvitations are part of a troubling trend whereby
individuals and groups seek to prevent controversial speakers
from appearing on campus. According to the Foundation for
Individual Rights in Education’s disinvitation database, since
2000 there have been 312 disinvitation attempts on campus. 128 of
them have come since 2012.


Our guest on today’s show had a rare disinvitation experience.
Jason Riley happened to be reinvited after he blew the whistle on
his disinvitation in a column for The Wall Street Journal.


The series of events that followed Riley’s disinvitation is a
case study not only in the power of mass media to expose
risk-averse decision-making that stifles free expression on
campus—but also in demonstrating the outsized influence just a
few outspoken alumni can have in reversing those decisions.


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