Regardless of what side of the aisle you're on, this feels nasty and continues A&M's negative trend on free speech in recent weeks.

The crazy part is nobody at the lecture seems to know what it was that Paxton and Dawn Buckingham (the person who initially tried to get the prof. fired) took offense to.

Good news is that the prof. was cleared and allowed to return to work, but it's pretty clear it never should've gotten that far in the first place.

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/25/texas-a-m-professor-opioids-dan-patrick/

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Alonzo has spent more than two decades as a pharmacist in Japan, Missouri and elsewhere, and has taught college students in Texas for more than a decade. She now teaches at Texas A&M while working as an ambulatory care pharmacy director at a free health clinic in Bryan.

She has helped bring millions of federal research dollars to the university, and last year Texas A&M's pharmacy school named her the early career researcher of the year.

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Less than two hours after the lecture ended, Patrick's chief of staff had sent Sharp a link to Alonzo's professional bio.

Shortly after, Sharp sent a text directly to the lieutenant governor: "Joy Alonzo has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation re firing her. shud [sic] be finished by end of week."

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Quote:

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The email also included a "formal censure" of Alonzo, although it did not specify what she said that was offensive.

Neither UTMB nor Texas A&M would confirm what Alonzo said that prompted such a reaction, and UTMB students interviewed by the Tribune recalled a vague reference to Patrick's office but nothing specific.

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The slides show that Alonzo discussed how a lack of infrastructure limits the state's ability to respond to the crisis, noting that many Texas counties lack a medical examiner; reporting on opioid deaths by emergency rooms is infrequent; and many law enforcement agencies and local health departments don't track opioid deaths.

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"We've been left wondering exactly what it was they objected to," the student said. "That vagueness just leads to some more self-censorship, since it's hard to tell what is and isn't allowed."

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"I understand that your comment did not assign blame. However, some members of the audience felt that your anecdote was offensive," he wrote.

"While it is important to preserve and defend academic freedom and as such be able to discuss and present to students and the public the results of research observations and strategies, you should be mindful of how you present your views," Udeani said.

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[The thread title did not jibe with what was actually in the article -- Staff}

This type of crap can't be allowed no matter which side tries to do it. Speech should generally be allowed and promoted in an academic context. Even unpopular or controversial speech. That doesn't mean it can't be criticized but it should be made so we can discuss the arguments, good or bad.

Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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This. The Tribune is not someone that is interested in telling both sides of a story or getting to the truth. They want to tear down anything Republican and they hate A&M. It's very possible that this story is true and it happened the way they claim but I put about as much stock in the Tribune as I do a Rolling Stone article on evaluating Donald Trump in an intellectually honest fashion.

Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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Serious question for people who think like this: Do you think the Tribune just made the article up? Do you think there was no lecture? No investigation? No texts involving the Sharp and Paxton's Camp? Are the people who attended the lecture paid actors? Did the Tribune spend months organizing a fake event with a fake prof who fake pretended she might get fake fired for a fake lecture that fake may or may not have fake said something about the fake opioid crisis?

Conservative cancel culture is out of control

aggie93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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This. The Tribune is not someone that is interested in telling both sides of a story or getting to the truth. They want to tear down anything Republican and they hate A&M. It's very possible that this story is true and it happened the way they claim but I put about as much stock in the Tribune as I do a Rolling Stone article on evaluating Donald Trump in an intellectually honest fashion.

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Buckingham declined to comment.

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UTMB declined to comment for this story, and Alonzo declined to be interviewed.

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Eltife declined to comment.

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They tried to get both sides. All you gotta do is open the article, lol.

BassCowboy33 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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Serious question for people who think like this: Do you think the Tribune just made the article up? Do you think there was no lecture? No investigation? No texts involving the Sharp and Paxton's Camp? Are the people who attended the lecture paid actors? Did the Tribune spend months organizing a fake event with a fake prof who fake pretended she might get fake fired for a fake lecture that fake may or may not have fake said something about the fake opioid crisis?

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Not made up, but almost certain they are not providing all the facts either.

The easiest way to lie is tell the truth, just leave out the parts which really matter.

If this was a professor who was accused of making a racist comment, they'd be screaming for the professor to be fired.

The left plays the lawfare game 24/7, 365. Filing complaints against professors is one of their favorites. If some one the right decide to retaliate in kind, then so be it.

Oh the irony coming from one of the writers that covered Covid and another that worked at NPR....

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For free speech advocates, health experts and students, Texas A&M's investigation of Alonzo was a shocking demonstration of how quickly university leaders allow politicians to interfere in classroom discussions on topics in which they are not experts and another example of increasing political involvement from state leaders in how Texas universities are managed.

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Here is the problem:

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In an email obtained by The Texas Tribune through a public records request, Alonzo told Self the investigation had been kicked off by a student "who has ties to Texas A&M Leadership."

The Texas A&M system confirmed the series of phone calls and text messages that led to Alonzo's investigation was kicked off by Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, a graduate of UTMB's medical school. The Tribune confirmed her daughter, a first-year medical student at the time, attended Alonzo's lecture. Buckingham served six years in the Texas Senate with Patrick, who endorsed her run for land commissioner last year, and she recently attended Sharp's wedding in May.

Buckingham declined to comment.

A few hours after Texas A&M started looking into the complaint, course leaders at UTMB sent an email to students in the class saying Alonzo's comments "about Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and his role in the opioid crisis" did not represent the opinion of the university.

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According to one student who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from the school, some students wondered if it was when Alonzo said that the lieutenant governor's office was one of the reasons it's hard for drug users to access certain care for opioid addiction or overdoses.

A second student who also asked to remain anonymous for the same reason said Alonzo made a comment that the lieutenant governor's office had opposed policies that could have prevented opioid-related deaths, and by doing so had allowed people to die.

A third student who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said Alonzo talked about how policies, like the state's ban on fentanyl test strips, have a direct impact on the ability to prevent opioid overdoses and deaths. A push to legalize the test strips died earlier this year in the Patrick-led Senate despite support from top Republicans, including Abbott.

All of the students interviewed said they felt Alonzo's comments were accurate and they were not offended by anything in the presentation.

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It reads like she criticized Dan Patrick in some way, which is perfectly fine, but Buckingham's daughter got butthurt, cried to powerful mommy, and mommy called her friends. Sure as hell seems like censorship.

Right-wing cancel culture is alive and well -- those snowflakes can't handle viewpoints that conflict with their feelings.

I'm honestly saddened by what our university is turning into.

Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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Ah yes, everything that goes against your worldview is propaganda...

ABATTBQ11 said:

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Here is the problem:

Quote:

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In an email obtained by The Texas Tribune through a public records request, Alonzo told Self the investigation had been kicked off by a student "who has ties to Texas A&M Leadership."

The Texas A&M system confirmed the series of phone calls and text messages that led to Alonzo's investigation was kicked off by Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, a graduate of UTMB's medical school. The Tribune confirmed her daughter, a first-year medical student at the time, attended Alonzo's lecture. Buckingham served six years in the Texas Senate with Patrick, who endorsed her run for land commissioner last year, and she recently attended Sharp's wedding in May.

Buckingham declined to comment.

A few hours after Texas A&M started looking into the complaint, course leaders at UTMB sent an email to students in the class saying Alonzo's comments "about Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and his role in the opioid crisis" did not represent the opinion of the university.

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It reads like she criticized Dan Patrick in some way, which is perfectly fine, but Buckingham's daughter got butthurt, cried to powerful mommy, and mommy called her friends. Sure as hell seems like censorship.

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The problem is that nobody is saying exactly what was said. It evidently was not recorded. If it was normal political criticism then this shouldn't have happened. If she accused Patrick of something illegal or in some way responsible for the death of someone then she was over the line.

Based on the article, it has been investigated and she has her job so story over. But never let that stop the Tribune from taking a shot at A&M or an elected Republican official.

The Texas Tribune is not news or journalism.

That being said, I'm fine with these left wing fascists in academia getting a taste of their own medicine. Kathleen McElroy was a subversive radical race-pimping lunatic who had zero business running our journalism department. I'm glad somebody somewhere intervened to keep that from happening. It's more than worth whatever hit A&M's image took. Enough is enough with this leftist garbage.

It's way past time for this university to stop funding the Texas Tribune. Its progressive slant is getting worse, and it hasn't been trustworthy in quite some time.

Pylon Cam said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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Ah yes, everything that goes against your worldview is propaganda...

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Goes into the "Everyone who disagrees with me is Hitler" camp.

BassCowboy33 said:

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aggie93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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This. The Tribune is not someone that is interested in telling both sides of a story or getting to the truth. They want to tear down anything Republican and they hate A&M. It's very possible that this story is true and it happened the way they claim but I put about as much stock in the Tribune as I do a Rolling Stone article on evaluating Donald Trump in an intellectually honest fashion.

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Quote:

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Buckingham declined to comment.

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UTMB declined to comment for this story, and Alonzo declined to be interviewed.

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Eltife declined to comment.

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They tried to get both sides. All you gotta do is open the article, lol.

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"Hi - Dawn Buckingham? Im Kate from the "I hate you rag." Would you be interested in giving a statement that we can contort or mischaracterize in our next attack piece? No? Ok - we'll just paint it like you're trying to hide, then."

I just finished the article in full. What was allegedly said was that Patrick's office had opposed policies that could have prevented opioid deaths, particularly the legalization and availability of test strips for fentanyl, in favor of policies that increased punishment and enforcement against fentanyl distribution, effectively letting people die by blocking access to methods that could have alerted them to the presence of fentanyl. We don't know exactly how that was phrased or said, but such policy criticism is absolutely and unquestionably within the realm of free speech. Elected officials have absolutely no business investigating and attempting to censure anyone who criticizes them or their policies. If Buckingham's daughter wasn't in the crowd with a direct line to Patrick and Sharp, who should have both known better than to instigate an investigation, this wouldn't have happened.

Let's not ignore that OP is a huge Texas Tribune supporter who works in journalism. I'm sure that has nothing to do with bringing this thread to F16.

https://texags.com/forums/16/topics/3386868/replies/65201393

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I'm a huge local journalism guy (that's why I work in it). Local print journalism has really struggled to the point where small publications have trouble turning a profit. For the most part, the revenue isn't there with traditional or digital advertising. The only way to exist is kinda like a nonprofit.

To an extent, this is where the Texas Tribune has picked up the slack. They've done amazing work covering regional issues, but the abundance of choice just isn't there overall for readers.

I did a series of stories in West Texas last year about how the Railroad Commission was turning a blind eye to O&G malfeasance and the poisoning of ground water. It's something that had been going on for years, but local pubs to expose it either didn't exist or couldn't afford to cover the trail. So, that's where my station picked it up and ran with it. We won TABs and Murrows for our coverage, and the Texas Tribune and Texas Monthly (the latter had already started looking into the issue) came sprinting in to give its fuller coverage that only print can provide.

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BassCowboy33 said:

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Get Off My Lawn said:

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BassCowboy33 said:

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aggie93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

---

This. The Tribune is not someone that is interested in telling both sides of a story or getting to the truth. They want to tear down anything Republican and they hate A&M. It's very possible that this story is true and it happened the way they claim but I put about as much stock in the Tribune as I do a Rolling Stone article on evaluating Donald Trump in an intellectually honest fashion.

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Quote:

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Buckingham declined to comment.

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Quote:

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UTMB declined to comment for this story, and Alonzo declined to be interviewed.

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Quote:

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Eltife declined to comment.

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They tried to get both sides. All you gotta do is open the article, lol.

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"Hi - Dawn Buckingham? Im Kate from the "I hate you rag." Would you be interested in giving a statement that we can contort or mischaracterize in our next attack piece? No? Ok - we'll just paint it like you're trying to hide, then."

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Don't complain about it being one-sided if you're going to make excuses for the people preventing it from being two-sided.

But this does raise an interesting point. On numerous occasions I've done stories where one side refuses to speak, only to be shocked when I ran the story. The complaint is then that we're being "one-sided." That's not how this works, bra. You can't kill a story by refusing to tell your side of it.

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This is disingenuous at best. Many times if not most, they reach out hours before their story goes to print/publication. They do it so often it is laughable. On top of that anything said to the media will be clipped a presented to suit their narrative.

Question: Did you take the same glee and were aghast by the admissions corruption and pay to play that occurred in Austin? I don't seem to recall much in the way of media outrage there. Why do you think that is?

Pylon Cam said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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Ah yes, everything that goes against your worldview is propaganda...

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No, just everything Texas Tribune publishes, it's no better than MSNBC and CNN

BassCowboy33 said:

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Get Off My Lawn said:

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BassCowboy33 said:

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aggie93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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This. The Tribune is not someone that is interested in telling both sides of a story or getting to the truth. They want to tear down anything Republican and they hate A&M. It's very possible that this story is true and it happened the way they claim but I put about as much stock in the Tribune as I do a Rolling Stone article on evaluating Donald Trump in an intellectually honest fashion.

---

Quote:

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Buckingham declined to comment.

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Quote:

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UTMB declined to comment for this story, and Alonzo declined to be interviewed.

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Quote:

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Eltife declined to comment.

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They tried to get both sides. All you gotta do is open the article, lol.

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"Hi - Dawn Buckingham? Im Kate from the "I hate you rag." Would you be interested in giving a statement that we can contort or mischaracterize in our next attack piece? No? Ok - we'll just paint it like you're trying to hide, then."

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Don't complain about it being one-sided if you're going to make excuses for the people preventing it from being two-sided.

But this does raise an interesting point. On numerous occasions I've done stories where one side refuses to speak, only to be shocked when I ran the story. The complaint is then that we're being "one-sided." That's not how this works, bra. You can't kill a story by refusing to tell your side of it.

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"Stories." You're pretending that this is journalism. It isn't. The Tribune and (as with most legacy media) sold itself to the leftist narrative a long time ago.

Propagandists run propaganda. You push it because it's on your side, but it's dying under its own reputational collapse.

In a post-truth society with free media - the only hope for longevity that print media HAD was in being a source of truth. But you highlight WITH YOUR ASSERTION just another of the failure points in play: "if you don't cooperate with me, I'll just run with the opposition's perspective."

That's vindictiveness - not journalism. Your inability to differentiate the two is quite telling.

BassCowboy33 said:

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aggie93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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This. The Tribune is not someone that is interested in telling both sides of a story or getting to the truth. They want to tear down anything Republican and they hate A&M. It's very possible that this story is true and it happened the way they claim but I put about as much stock in the Tribune as I do a Rolling Stone article on evaluating Donald Trump in an intellectually honest fashion.

---

Quote:

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Buckingham declined to comment.

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Quote:

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UTMB declined to comment for this story, and Alonzo declined to be interviewed.

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Quote:

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Eltife declined to comment.

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They tried to get both sides. All you gotta do is open the article, lol.

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As I said, it may well be true but the Tribune is an extremely biased source. Also, if you know anything about modern journalism they have a habit of getting a story written and then asking the person who they are writing a hit piece to comment with virtually no time to do so. They will for instance send an email at 8 O'Clock at night for a story they are running the next morning and give very sparse details on what they are writing about. The fact that they couldn't get comments from 4 of the major players in the story is certainly, uh, interesting.

Sorry but modern journalism isn't about truth it's about social justice and activism. I've experienced it personally when interviewed at an event that wasn't even particularly political where the report on the news was 180 Degrees from what actually happened but they were able to snippet together the story they wanted. Once again that doesn't mean this story isn't true and happened exactly how it is laid out but it truly is like going to Rolling Stone looking for objectivity on Donald Trump. I think it is fine to have this further investigated but anyone that jumps to the conclusions that the article is clearly trying to get you to do without more context is a lemming.

Rapier108 said:

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Amazing how people fall for the Texas Tribune's propaganda every single time.

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Instead of whining about "muh soros" maybe consider that A&M is bringing this kind of attention on itself. No reason they couldn't have told Buckingham to kick rocks. The professor was exercising free speech and her criticisms were completely valid (ie they were not pure vitriolic insults). We aren't required to bend the knee to snowflakes.