In a column for the Seattle Times, Evergreen State College President George Bridges blamed the chaos on his campus on “misinformation” that circulated on social media and cable news.
“Although activism on campus was only part of the story, it was distorted, amplified and endlessly repeated via social media and cable news,” Bridges wrote. “As we took steps to de-escalate conflict on campus, Twitter feeds blew up with misinformation.”
Bridges failed to make clear exactly how the situation at Evergreen was portrayed incorrectly on social media and in the news. Several faculty members have condemned Bret Weinstein, the professor who has found himself at the center of the chaos, for not making it clear during his appearance on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program that white community members weren’t forced to leave campus, but that they were rather “encouraged.”
Bridges’ column shifts the blame from the alleged misrepresentation of the protests on social media to the general political polarization occurring in the United States.
We are focused on our future as a college community, as a catalyst for businesses, jobs and prosperity in the region, and as an integral part of the state’s higher education system. How do we change and adapt to thrive in this era of national polarization?
Some steps we must take are clear. To preserve freedom from discrimination and of expression for all at Evergreen, we must have greater accountability and consequences for those who would deny those rights to others.
He reaffirms Evergreen’s commitment to free speech before condemning those that have used their expression rights to make threats. “Freedom of speech belongs to all. Freedom to threaten does not. I am talking with Evergreen faculty and students, alumni, legislators and others about how we can strengthen and clarify the rules for conduct,” Bridges wrote.
Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com
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