Policed and censored: professors in the southern US feel under siege

Nature NewsCenterEN 4 min read 100% complete by Laurie UdeskyOctober 29, 2025 at 09:00 PM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

A survey of nearly 4,000 academics across twelve southern US states found that one-quarter are actively seeking jobs outside their state due to political pressures and fears of censorship. Conducted by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the poll revealed that around 55% would not recommend their state as a desirable place to work. Issues include class content scrutiny, federal contract cancellations, and an overall sense of academic intimidation under Republican-controlled legislatures. The survey was distributed in August via email and social media, with responses from educators predominantly identifying as white (83%) and holding tenured positions (over 60%).

Key Topics & Entities

Washington DC 30% Texas 40% US ×250% Matthew Boedy 60% Georgia Conference of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) ×270% American Association of University Professors (AAUP) ×480%

Keywords

academic freedom 90% political pressure 85% republican-controlled state legislatures 80% south us states 80% self-censorship 75% class content policing 75% job search 70% faculty survey 65% federal contracts cancellation 60% tenured positions 60%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

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Nature News

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

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Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

United States

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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academic freedom political pressure republican-controlled state legislatures south us states self-censorship class content policing job search faculty survey federal contracts cancellation tenured positions

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