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Antisemitism and Free Speech Collide on Campuses

Warning: this episode contains strong language. Universities across the country strained under pressure to take a public position on the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Nicholas Confessore, a political and investigative reporter for The Times, explains the story behind a congressional hearing that ended the career of one university president, jeopardized the jobs of two others, and kicked off an emotional debate about antisemitism and free speech on college campuses. Guest: Nicholas Confessore, a political and investigative reporter for The New York Times.
Duration
33m
Broadcast on
13 Dec 2023
Audio Format
other

Warning: this episode contains strong language.

Universities across the country strained under pressure to take a public position on the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

Nicholas Confessore, a political and investigative reporter for The Times, explains the story behind a congressional hearing that ended the career of one university president, jeopardized the jobs of two others, and kicked off an emotional debate about antisemitism and free speech on college campuses.

Guest: Nicholas Confessore, a political and investigative reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. From New York Times, I'm Michael Bobaro. This is The Daily. Today, the story behind a congressional hearing that ended the career of one university president jeopardized the jobs of two others and kicked off an emotional debate about anti-Semitism and free speech on college campuses. I speak with my colleague, Nick Kompasori. It's Wednesday, December 13th. Nick, thank you for coming in here. It's good to be here, Michael. I want you to give us the backstory that brings us to this now infamous congressional hearing last week, featuring several of the country's top college presidents and to the uproar that this hearing ultimately ends up triggering. Where does that story start? It begins in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks. And around the country, campuses begin to be roiled by protests about the attacks, the aftermath attacks, the Israeli response. You've had students chanting from the river to the sea. Palestine will be free. Which, for some of the protesters, were meant as more generic statements of Palestinian freedom. But for many Jews, sound like calls for ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel. Because between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is Israel in its current borders. Correct. You've had chance in Tafada and Tafada. Long live the in Tafada, which is a word that means uprising. But which many people, especially people of a certain age, sounds like an endorsement of the violent tactics

Transcription truncated.

Warning: this episode contains strong language. Universities across the country strained under pressure to take a public position on the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Nicholas Confessore, a political and investigative reporter for The Times, explains the story behind a congressional hearing that ended the career of one university president, jeopardized the jobs of two others, and kicked off an emotional debate about antisemitism and free speech on college campuses. Guest: Nicholas Confessore, a political and investigative reporter for The New York Times.