iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 28/06/2026

"We're the test case." At NIH, even grants that have passed peer review are delayed for political screening. Officials warn the proposed OMB rule would codify this chaos aross the fed. government. Politicians shouldn't be able to decide what questions science is allowed to ask. zurl.co/f6hmm

nature.com

Inside the new political screening that’s stalling NIH grants

Mandatory reviews by top health officials and checks for 235 disfavoured terms have left hundreds of vetted grant applications in administrative limbo.

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

@krforde.bsky.social argues post-Reconstruction-1960s Black newpapers offer a model for pro-democracy journalism that the entire industry should emulate today. newrepublic.com/article/2115...

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

The US has a history of violent, racist authoritarian rule, with the press helping to make it happen. As our democracy erodes further, it's worth asking which parts of our press are serving democratic ends--and which are participating in an authoritarian project. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

The Jackson Clarion and the Mississippi Plan of 1875: Press Power and Authoritarian Rule in the Reconstruction Era South

This article documents the role of the white press as a central architect of the Mississippi Plan of 1875 and the violent overthrow of the state’s multiracial Reconstruction government. The Jackson...

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

It’s up to all of us to defend the freedom to learn, the freedom to think—to stand against censorship and thought control. #highered faculty and staff: please join us at standtogetherhighered.org (it’s free)

standtogetherhighered.org

Stand Together

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

#highered Faculty—please join the AAUP and start a chapter if your campus doesn’t have one or a faculty union. They are working for ALL of us.

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Citizen of Somewhere Else @citizense.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

We’re not even officially launching this through our regular communication channels until tomorrow morning! And what’s more, it’s free! But that’s not all!! We have @krforde.bsky.social from @standhighered.bsky.social helping us kick this thing off!!!

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Did you know newspaper editors (the press!) helped plan and execute political violence and electoral fraud to overthrow the biracial Reconstruction era government of Mississippi and replace it with an authoritarian regime that lasted generations? 1/3 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

The Jackson Clarion and the Mississippi Plan of 1875: Press Power and Authoritarian Rule in the Reconstruction Era South

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

(Like if you agree.) If you have yet to notice, the @nytimes.com Editorial Board has an Autocracy Tracker, which follows 12 markers of democratic erosion in the US. Launched late Oct 2025, updated early Feb 2026. Needs to be highlighted on home page every day! Updated more often. Let's go! 1/2

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

This kind of thought policing goes against every precept of academic freedom. If you’re in #highered, join us at standtogetherhighered.org. We are nonpartisan and free—an we are building campus-level teams to protect our shared mission of serving the public good.

standtogetherhighered.org

Stand Together

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

OK, Bluesky academics: what can we do to expose and push back against this Orwellian effort to control the freedom to learn and to teach? Seriously. What Texas A&M is doing matters for all of us and all of our students and all in our society.

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

AAUP @aaup.org · 15/11/2025

"This represents saving higher education, saving public research and the standing up of faculty, staff and students," — Veena Dubal, AAUP General Counsel & law professor at the University of California, Irvine. #DefendHigherEd

nytimes.com

Judge Orders Trump Not to Threaten University of California’s Funding

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

THIS is what we face in higher ed. Join us at Stand Together for Higher Ed—a grassroots movement of faculty and staff at universities and colleges across the US. We are building the resistance and renewal infrastructure we need in these dangerous times. Join! It’s free. standtogetherhighered.org

standtogetherhighered.org

Stand Together

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Jamelle Bouie always writes from a pro-democracy position. If only the NYT as a whole would begin a Democracy Desk to do this, too: track and make visible how the consolidation of authoritarian power in US is happening. What news outlets do you think are doing this well?

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

The federal government is trying to place the University of California under political control. Join with UC Unbowed before the Board of Regents meeting on November 18-20 and tell President James B. Milliken and the Regents to protect UC independence. alumni.standforcampusfreedom.org/petitions/un...

alumni.standforcampusfreedom.org

University of California: Reject the federal government's political control

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Faculty and staff cannot allow our college/university leaders to make these odious side deals with the federal govt. Please join us at Stand Together for Higher Ed: www.standtogetherhighered.org. It’s free. And we’re building collective power to stand together against this madness.

standtogetherhighered.org

Stand Together

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

❤️ this! You’ve met confidence intervals before — in polls: “Candidate A 52% ± 3%.” That ± 3% is the ring: we’re 95% sure the real number’s somewhere inside it. Polls dance round and suppose. The truth sits in the middle and declines comment. #statssky #polling #academicsky

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Donald Szlosek @dszlosek.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Robert Frost was certainly more familiar with iambic pentameter than he was with estimated parameters, but in 1942 he wrote a couplet that sounds very much like a poet's perception of a confidence interval: #statistics #statssky #academicsky

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Alray Scholars Program @alrayscholars.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Meet our new scholar-mentor pair: Laurie & Michael! Laurie is studying Biology at UMass Boston. She’ll be supported by Michael, a graduate student at UMass Boston pursuing his Master’s in Molecular Biology. #AcademicSky #MentorshipMatters #HigherEd #StudentSuccess #EduSky #BostonNonProfit

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Stand Together for Higher Ed (STHE) @standhighered.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

📣 STHE wants to hear from you! Join us for one of our upcoming brainstorming sessions focused on how to respond to the White House compact. We would love to hear your thoughts and feelings on how our community should be responding. Register at buff.ly/R9VHdrm #AcademicSky #Academia

Upcoming Brainstorming Sessions
Monday, Nov. 10, 3pm ET
Thursday, Nov. 13, 11am ET
Stand Together for Higher Ed

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Stand Together for Higher Ed (STHE) @standhighered.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Many institutions, organizations, & individuals are standing together to say NO to the White House Compact. Faculty fellows at leading Institutes for Advanced Studies are adding their voice to the choir with a new open letter: #AcademicSky #Academia

"The strength of American higher education lies in our collective commitment to truth, freedom, and excellence. The response must be unified and unequivocal: Universities will defend American freedom. They will protect each other."

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

So UVA rejects the Compact but still makes an odious side deal. We invite all UVA faculty and staff to join Stand Together for Higher Ed. It’s free, and we’re building community and strategies to stop this madness www.standtogetherhighered.org

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Greater Lafayette Indivisible ❌ 👑 @lafayetteindivisible.com · 23/10/2025

#academicsky, particularly #Purdue, should you happen to be visiting #Boston for any reason in the near future, here's a little something you might consider doing on any Wednesday. #StandUpForScience.

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

🙌 Yes, this. The people, the lives, the health of our planet, the pursuit of just and fair outcomes and human rights and a better world. Legal storytelling helps us understand what is and imagine a better way. ❤️

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Duke University School of Medicine @dukemedschool.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Researchers at Duke Cancer Institute are looking at obesity's impact on breast cancer and whether GLP-1 drugs might help jump-start a more robust immune response. 🔗 Read more: medschool.duke.edu/stories/obesity-… #AcademicSky #MedSky

Three professionals smiling in an office setting, from left to right: a person wearing a gray blazer, a person in a blue dress, and a person in a pink blazer. They are standing in front of a geometrically patterned backdrop.

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Fellows at Institutes for Advanced Study have issued a letter calling on universities to reject the Trump admin's Compact (loyalty oath). If you're faculty/staff at a US college or university, please join Stand Together for Higher Ed (it's free). www.standtogetherhighered.org/news-updates...

standtogetherhighered.org

Faculty Fellows Release Open Letter to Leaders of US Universities — Stand Together

Below is a open letter that has been released by faculty fellows at leading Institutes for Advanced Studies in the U.S.: As American-based fellows at leading Institutes for Advanced Studies in the Un...

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

At a moment when higher ed as a pillar of democracy is under political attack in the US, we cannot allow college and university leaders to try to control the student press or any kind of student expression. www.standtogetherhighered.org

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Thoughts and prayers for Donald J Trump

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Please repost: Sign this petition against university loyalty oaths. Then if you are faculty/staff at a US university, join Stand Together for Higher Ed (it's free!) at www.standtogehterhighered.org. We are doing great things together to defend and renew higher ed. www.defendingourcampuses.org

defendingourcampuses.org

Defending Our Campuses and Communities

The AFT and the AAUP are working with allies in higher education and the labor movement to defend and advance higher education that is accessible and affordable for all who want it, and to protect the...

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Are you an alum from one of the 9 schools the federal government just attacked? Sign this alumni petition now to support your school, defend democracy, and build a grassroots movement for campus freedom across America. alumni.standforcampusfreedom.org/petitions/tr...

alumni.standforcampusfreedom.org

STAND WITH YOUR SCHOOL: Trump attacks 9 universities. Sign the alumni petition now.

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 05/10/2025

"It’s not the journalists’ burden to keep the government’s secrets for it," @seth-stern.bsky.social told @columjournreview.bsky.social. "That is the opposite of the press’s job, which is to tell the public what the government doesn’t want the public told."

cjr.org

The Pentagon press gears up for a fight.

“None of us are signing this pledge,” said one reporter.

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Yes to all of this! Stand Together for Higher Ed is building a resistance strategy. Faculty and staff across US higher education: please join! It's free and we must all stand together. www.standtogetherhighered.org

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Please join Stand Together for Higher Ed if you are faculty or staff at these institutions--or any other higher ed institution in the US. We are building a campaign to resist. Joining is free. www.standtogetherhighered.org

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

We are organizing to resist The Compact. Faculty and staff at all US higher ed institutions: stand with us. It's free. www.standtogetherhighered.org #academicsky #highered www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

nytimes.com

Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Are you frustrated that the NYT isn't covering the actions of this Trump administration as authoritarian consolidation? Consider reading my Substack posts on the subject. The NYT needs to cover democratic erosion plainly and clearly. kathyrobertsforde.substack.com/p/more-on-wh...

kathyrobertsforde.substack.com

More on Why the New York Times Should Create a Democracy Desk.

The consolidation of authoritarian power in the United States is the biggest political story of our era. When will the New York Times approach it that way?

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

"Why Doesn’t the New York Times Have a Democracy Desk?" MAGA is consolidating authoritarian power in the US. Democratic backsliding is happening fast. Why won't the NYT cover this breakdown of US democracy with the clarity it deserves? kathyrobertsforde.substack.com/p/why-doesnt...

kathyrobertsforde.substack.com

Why Doesn’t the New York Times Have a Democracy Desk?

The warning lights are flashing. The paper of record has the reach and resources. Will it help readers track, and have the language to discuss, the rise of authoritarianism in the US?

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

markpachucki @markpachucki.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

“Some faculty, student and alumni groups, however, have begun to stand up and make their voices heard.” Yes we have. Stand with us; we commit to educating for freedom. Thank you, Michael S. Roth. @standhighered.bsky.social

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Wouldn't it be great if the New York Times created a Democracy Desk to cover so much of what's happening as what it clearly is: the rise of an authoritarian regime and the rapid erosion of democracy? Would love to get your thoughts on my Substack on the subject open.substack.com/pub/kathyrob...

open.substack.com

Why Doesn’t the New York Times Have a Democracy Desk?

The warning lights are flashing. The paper of record has the reach and resources. Will it help readers track, and have the language to discuss, the rise of authoritarianism in the US?

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Stand Together for Higher Ed stands with Emory AAUP. If you’re faculty at Emory, please join. AAUP is fighting for higher ed. We are not powerless!!! Please consider joining standtogetherhighered.org (staff welcome, too!). Free and we don’t share names or teams publicly.

standtogetherhighered.org

Stand Together

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Stand Together for Higher Ed stands with UT Austin AAUP President Pauline’s defense of free inquiry and against state repression of institutional autonomy, free speech, and freedom to learn. If you are #highered faculty or staff, join our movement: standtogetherhighered.org

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Kathy Roberts Forde @krforde.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

THIS is what it looks like to report clearly on democratic erosion in the US. As always, @perrybaconjr.bsky.social is on it. So glad he’s now @newrepublic.com where his political reporting skills and sensibilities have wider latitude.

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Reposted by Kathy Roberts Forde

Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Page One of today's NYT:

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