Thread: It's All Right, They Are Teachers and You Are Not a Teacher

Slime weasel, Andrew Breitbart, has edited videos, of teachers, you know, teaching and caused one of them to lose his job.
Even though the University knows that the videos were edited and the teachers were quoting other people in their talk it has decided that one of them has to go because, um, just because.
So who's next to have their lives trampled by Breitbart's skilled editors( apparently one of the teachers magically changes their shirt half-way through a section of talking) and does it concern anyone that outright lying is being rewarded in this way?

So who is really to blame here, Breitbart or the Dean of the University of Missouri, St. Louis? While I do not condone Breitart's deceptions, it wasn't he who asked the instructor to resign.

Sue the coniving bastard.

Originally Posted by Morgan

Sue the coniving bastard.

Unfortunately, there are several reasons this probably won't happen. First, of all, the adjunct involved resigned--he wasn't fired--so it would be difficult to prove loss. But even then, he can't claim that anyone lied about him, just that they distorted his own words by cutting them carefully and rearranging their order. It seems to me that the students involved have more standing, since they have a right not to be seen on a public video unless they have given permission. The faculty member might sue for theft of intellectual property, since the videos are his work product.

Another thing anyone looking at this must recognize is the status of the person involved. As an adjunct, this person is badly paid and has no job security beyond what the university chooses to provide. Adjuncts teach an increasingly large portion of student-class units because they are cheap. So this person probably doesn't have the money to sue, either. And the person this adjunct would probably need to sue first is the student who provided Breitbart with access.

Finally, and most important, is the academic freedom issue. The ability of teachers and students to say things and explore ideas, even when they are unpopular, is the foundation of universities--not just in the US but everywhere. Sacrificing an employee for the sake of funding is bad for the long-term health of all educational institutions. Shame on the University of Missouri.

Originally Posted by Riddley

Slime weasel, Andrew Breitbart, has edited videos, of teachers, you know, teaching and caused one of them to lose his job.
Even though the University knows that the videos were edited and the teachers were quoting other people in their talk it has decided that one of them has to go because, um, just because.
So who's next to have their lives trampled by Breitbart's skilled editors( apparently one of the teachers magically changes their shirt half-way through a section of talking) and does it concern anyone that outright lying is being rewarded in this way?

Videos appear to have been removed. At least via the Brietbart links.

Have any other locations....??


.

Originally Posted by pragmatic

Videos appear to have been removed. At least via the Brietbart links.

Have any other locations....??


.

Probably not. They are libelous, after all.

Originally Posted by Rassales

Probably not. They are libelous, after all.

"While the university's statement endorsed academic freedom, it also noted that during "the course of our review the past couple days, UMSL has accepted the resignation of its lecturer." The St. Louis campus declined to elaborate on that resignation, but Giljum said that he was told by a dean that she needed him to resign, and had been told by her higher-ups to get his resignation."


Am thinking maybe this story isn't as one sided as is being portrayed. Be good to get the whole picture....just sayin'.


.

Such a country where someone can cause these kind of ridiculous actions towards someone and get off scott free.

Originally Posted by Morgan

Such a country where someone can cause these kind of ridiculous actions towards someone and get off scott free.

Did you see the videos....??


.