Introduction to the Professor Watchlist
Nearly 50 instructors from public and private colleges across Illinois are named in an online database dubbed “Professor Watchlist” that was created by a group affiliated with slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk to unmask “radical professors,” WBEZ has found.
Threats Against Professors
Since landing on the list, some professors have gotten hateful emails, online messages and letters threatening rape or death, and in some instances, have seen that activity intensify since Kirk’s death. WBEZ reached out to all of the roughly four dozen Illinois-based instructors on the non-profit Turning Point USA list. Among those who responded, all said the allegations lodged against them were distortions of their work.
The Watchlist’s Content
The site includes the professors’ names, headshots, a brief description on what they did to land on the list and, in some cases, contact information for their department. The site sorts the professors into categories, or “tags,” ranging from anti-Judeo-Christian values and climate alarmist, to racial ideology and LGBTQ.
Entrance to Northwestern University in Evanston.
Personal Experiences with the Watchlist
For Northwestern University Sociology Professor Laura Beth Nielsen, her tag is “anti-First Amendment.” She landed on the list a short time after writing an op-ed on hate speech for the Los Angeles Times in 2017. She argued that hate speech can lead to adverse physical and mental health outcomes, such as high blood pressure and low self-esteem. What followed was weeks of hateful emails and mailed letters — sometimes Nielsen said, she would get up to 15 a day. Some would label her un-American or anti-men. One person, who included his return address, called Nielsen the kind of woman he warns his sons about. But others were explicitly threatening violence against her. “‘I’m going to rape you in front of your children,’ that’s my least favorite hate mail,” Nielsen said.
New Threats Arise After Kirk Murder
University of Chicago political science professor Robert Pape, who is not on the list himself, said the rise in online vitriol and threats can be a direct result of being on sites like the “Professor Watchlist.” “When there’s information that’s put on the web that is identifying somebody as a particular political danger to a group, and it can be really to any group, this carries a greater degree of seriousness than it did just a few months ago,” Pape said. He cited the murders of Minnesota legislators Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman in June. Pape, who has been studying political violence since the 1990s, said perpetrators of these attacks are now getting more sophisticated in their planning and are turning to websites that target specific individuals with differing political ideologies.
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah earlier this month.
Professor Says List Miscasts Work
The Professor Watchlist was launched in 2016, by Kirk’s nonprofit advocating for conservative politics on high school and college campuses across the country. For the Illinois professors on the list, their disciplines and experience varied. Some professors were tenured, while others were visiting lecturers. Some taught chemistry and physics, and others researched history and gender studies. WBEZ reached out to every Illinois professor on the list. Several of them said the site grossly mischaracterizes and reduces their work.
Professor on List Prepares Will
A Chicago professor said the watchlist’s mischaracterizations are intentionally inciting anger and “inherently suggesting violence.” The professor agreed to speak with WBEZ, but wished to keep his name and school anonymous for fear of being targeted again. He’s on the list for researching racial inequities in academia. He said he received emails and social media messages telling him to die. “It kind of is disappointing to see that there’s no sense of baseline humanity that’s granted to people with differing perspectives,” he said.
Conclusion
The "Professor Watchlist" has sparked controversy and concern among academics and experts, with many arguing that it poses a potential danger to the people listed. The list’s mischaracterizations of professors’ work and its potential to incite violence have led to a range of negative consequences, from hateful emails and online messages to threats of rape and death. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the list will be addressed and what measures will be taken to protect the professors and academics who have been targeted.
FAQs
Q: What is the "Professor Watchlist"?
A: The "Professor Watchlist" is an online database created by a group affiliated with Charlie Kirk to unmask "radical professors."
Q: How many Illinois professors are on the list?
A: Nearly 50 instructors from public and private colleges across Illinois are named on the list.
Q: What kind of threats have professors on the list received?
A: Professors on the list have received hateful emails, online messages, and letters threatening rape
