“The answer to speech is more speech”: An interview with Associate Professor Brian King

Associate Professor Brian King in his office in Cambridge Hall / Photo provided by King

By Katelyn Lindsey

Across the United States, educators have had to grapple with navigating censorship in their profession. Brian King, associate professor of political science at Muskingum University, is just one of them.  

One common form of censorship in education is the pressure to conform to certain ideological perspectives or avoid controversial topics that may challenge prevailing beliefs or societal norms. This pressure can come from multiple sources, including university administrators, students, parents, and external political or social forces.  

“There are decisions being made at the state level, decisions being made at the board of education, decisions being made at individual universities about what can and what should be discussed and talked about and what can't or shouldn't be,” King said. “It's both understandable and heartbreaking for me.”

At Muskingum University, King has witnessed firsthand the impact of censorship on academic freedom. He emphasizes that censorship takes various forms, ranging from self-censorship to more prevalent attempts to restrict the discussion of certain topics or viewpoints. 

There has seemed to be a rise in censorship in institutions across the country. Topics such as queer identities and pronouns have seemingly become an almost prohibited topic to discuss in the classroom. King believes that by not having these conversations in the education system it is putting students at a disadvantage.  

“At some point these people are going to go out into the world and they're going to meet someone who's trans and they're not going to be prepared to have any sort of comprehension about what that means, because those conversations are being prohibited at the school level,” King said. “Then they have absolutely no awareness, and so someone who's part of the trans community is part of an invisible community to that person and that's the heartbreaking part.” 

There is a plethora of political science courses at Muskingum which delve into the institutional nature and systems that make up the country. One of those classes being “Race, Culture and America”, which delves into systemic racism. King is mindful of respecting all viewpoints brought into his classroom which can be challenging at times.  

“When I do bring in a discussion like racism in American society, I’ve got to make sure that all students feel welcome to speak up, even those who might feel that racism is not a big problem,” King said. "Even though I would disagree with that, if I don’t respect their point of view and allow them to express it, then I’m censoring too.” 

Despite censorship not always being forced by law, educators like Professor King still feel the need to self-censor to maintain their jobs.  

I’m in a classroom full of people who have recording devices, who could at any time be recording,” King said. “You pick a random time to run into my classroom I am measuring each sentence I say. I’m doing it right now because even one sentence taken out of context might end up on Fox News.” 

The topic of censorship has picked up heat in terms of the reputation of college campuses. There has been a concern around colleges “indoctrinating” students into certain beliefs.  

“You know any of these [subjects] could be lifted out of context to show you know the horrible, terrible things higher ed is doing to your kid and it's not true, but it becomes part of that narrative. It becomes part of the strategy to shut down these conversations.”  

King believes that having more conversations about certain topics, rather than shutting down shutting down individuals with opposing beliefs.  

“The answer to speech is more speech,” King said.  

The future of censorship in education is uncertain, and individuals in the education field will be tasked with adapting to whichever way the pendulum swings. 

Join The Magenta Journal in delving deeper into the topic of censorship in education with the podcast Censorship in the Classroom.