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Podcast: Reflecting on the January 6 hearings and what's happened since

Podcast: Reflecting on the January 6 hearings and what's happened since

On this episode of “Democracy Works”, Michael Berkman, Chris Beem, Candis Watts Smith, and Jenna Spinelle discuss the January 6 committee hearings, which they previously teased as "democracy's summer blockbusters." Did they live up to the hype? Did they change public opinion — and does that matter?

The group also discusses the January 6 hearings and the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago in the context of democratic pedagogy, or behavior that helps us learn what it means to be good democratic citizens. Finally, they cover some of the summer's primary elections and what to expect in the general election this fall.


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Entrance Sign at the University of Florida

Universities are embracing “institutional neutrality,” but at places like the University of Florida it’s becoming a tool to silence faculty and erode academic freedom.

Getty Images, Bryan Pollard

When Insisting on “Neutrality” Becomes a Gag Order

Universities across the country are adopting policies under the banner of “institutional neutrality,” which, at face value, sounds entirely reasonable. A university’s official voice should remain measured, cautious, and focused on its core mission regardless of which elected officials are in office. But two very different interpretations of institutional neutrality are emerging.

At places like the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Harvard, neutrality is applied narrowly and traditionally: the institution itself refrains from partisan political statements, while faculty leaders and scholars remain free to speak in their professional and civic capacities. Elsewhere, the same term is being applied far more aggressively — not to restrain institutions, but to silence individuals.

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