New York University: NYU Grossman School of Medicine Media Policy Muzzles Faculty During Coronavirus Crisis

NYU Grossman School of Medicine insisted that its faculty members, many of them serving on the front lines of the coronavirus response, follow a restrictive media policy that requires them to refrain from speaking to the press without advance permission from the university’s marketing and communications administrators. Faculty were explicitly threatened with disciplinary action including termination for failure to adhere to the policy. FIRE wrote to the university on March 31, 2020, explaining the danger of faculty gag orders, particularly during a global public health crisis.