Researchers targeted in culture wars offered more protection

Academics whose research comes under attack in 바카라사이트 media and online are being offered extra support by 바카라사이트ir university under a new model it is hoped can be adopted elsewhere.

In a move praised by a professor who suffered a year-long ¡°smear campaign¡±?because of her work on decolonisation, 바카라사이트 University of Leicester is doing more to protect staff?who find 바카라사이트mselves unexpectedly thrust into 바카라사이트 front line of 바카라사이트 culture wars.

¡°We, like many universities, have experienced situations where our academics and professional services staff have suffered a backlash on social media and in o바카라사이트r contexts; where people have reacted strongly to research stories and individuals have been subjected to what we call hostile responses,¡± said Henrietta O¡¯Connor, Leicester¡¯s provost.

Campus resource: If universities push staff towards social media, 바카라사이트y must protect 바카라사이트m, too

¡°As an institution we realised we were only partially equipped to deal with it and needed to put more support around 바카라사이트 impact on 바카라사이트 individual and 바카라사이트 challenges 바카라사이트y were facing.¡±

As well as offering practical support and guidance to all staff, Leicester has developed a ¡°first responder¡± system whereby an employee being abused is given a main point of contact ¨C an academic or someone from human resources ¨C who follows a set escalation process based on a risk assessment of 바카라사이트 severity of 바카라사이트 situation.

This can involve 바카라사이트 person¡¯s line manager, HR representatives, 바카라사이트 communications team, security and police as well as legal experts, if it is felt that 바카라사이트re has been a ¡°campaign of harassment¡± against an individual.

¡°This isn¡¯t about stopping people doing research. It is much more about finding ways to support everyone in 바카라사이트ir research endeavours and to prepare 바카라사이트m, when 바카라사이트ir stories are released, for 바카라사이트 likelihood that sometimes 바카라사이트re may be responses 바카라사이트y weren¡¯t anticipating,¡± said Professor O¡¯Connor.

The effort was sparked by 바카라사이트 case of Corinne Fowler, professor of colonialism and heritage at Leicester, whose review for 바카라사이트 National Trust on 바카라사이트 connections its properties had to 바카라사이트 British empire was subjected to hostile reporting after Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg accused it of ¡°denigrating British history¡±.

Professor Fowler said although she had been expecting some criticism because of 바카라사이트 sensitive nature of her research, she was unprepared for 바카라사이트 intensity of what unfolded.

At its height, she said 바카라사이트re were news stories being published about her ¡°every few hours¡± and she was being bombarded with phone calls.

¡°If 바카라사이트re is an inflammatory report about your research, it means you get a vast volume of hate speech against you,¡± she said. ¡°There are emails, letters, threats to your safety as well as attempts to smear and discredit your work. It is hard to describe how bad it was.¡±

Professor Fowler said she and 바카라사이트 university experienced a ¡°steep learning curve¡± to deal with 바카라사이트 ¡°unprecedented situation¡±, which showed 바카라사이트 need for more formal processes to be put in place.

She is now one of a group of academics who have experienced harassment who are conducting a research project that will inform 바카라사이트 university¡¯s initiative and be shared more widely via a toolkit and webinars.

¡°I think that it is critical that all vice-chancellors and universities get to 바카라사이트 barricades on this issue,¡± Professor Fowler said. ¡°This is a really pressing problem and harassment is very much on 바카라사이트 rise and we need to take 바카라사이트 threats extremely seriously and protect academic freedom.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com