Prominent American journalist and author Jonathan Rauch will visit New Zealand with the Free Speech Union next month to discuss the importance of academic freedom, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union.

“Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institute, the author of eight books and many articles on LGBT rights, public policy, culture, and government.

“We’re pleased to bring Rauch to New Zealand for a week from May 12 to specifically engage on the issue of academic freedom. He will speak on university campuses across New Zealand, meet with vice-chancellors, and give the keynote address at a university symposium co-hosted with the New Zealand Initiative in Wellington.

“Especially relevant to the tour are Rauch’s books The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth and Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought, which defend free speech, science, and robust criticism.

“We’ve documented a consistent decline in academic freedom and academics’ ability to perform their crucial function in society. Universities should be a place where ideas and theories are freely debated and tested, but we continue to see that this is not the case.

“We look forward to Rauch’s visit contributing to this important discussion.”

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