A push by the attorney general’s office for the emails of professors and staff at the University of Missouri has academic freedom advocates concerned the office is being weaponized to stifle free speech and deter researchers’ work.
In June, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office sent two records requests to the university.
The first sought three-and-a-half years of emails sent to two staff members and a postdoctoral researcher, with the target appearing to be a university research program that aims to help teachers learn skills to promote social emotional learning among their students.
