By DAM HEE KIM, ANJANA SASARLA and SCOTT SHACKELFORD <a href="https://theconversation.com/experts-grade-facebook-tiktok-twitter-youtube-on-readiness-to-handle-midterm-election-misinformation-191249">The Conversation</a>

The 2016 U.S. election was a wake-up call about the dangers of 
political misinformation on social media. With two more election cycles 
rife with misinformation under their belts, social media companies have 
experience identifying and countering misinformation. However, the 
nature of the threat misinformation poses to society continues to shift 
in form and targets. The big lie about the 2020 presidential election 
has become a major theme, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/business/media/midterms-foreign-language-misinformation.html">immigrant communities are increasingly in the crosshairs</a> of disinformation campaigns – deliberate efforts to spread misinformation.

Social media companies have announced plans to deal with misinformation in the 2022 midterm elections, but the companies <a href="https://techpolicy.press/looking-to-the-midterms-the-state-of-platform-policies-on-u-s-political-speech/">vary in their approaches and effectiveness</a>. We asked experts on social media to grade how ready Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube are to handle the task.

Dam Hee Kim, Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Arizona

Social media are <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/">important sources of news for most Americans</a> in 2022, but they also could be a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820943878">fertile ground for spreading misinformation</a>.
 Major social media platforms announced plans for dealing with 
misinformation in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, but experts noted 
that they are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/technology/midterms-misinformation-tiktok-facebook.html">not very different from their 2020 plans</a>.

One important consideration: Users are not constrained to using just one platform. One company’s intervention may backfire and <a href="https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/twitter-flagged-donald-trumps-tweets-with-election-misinformation-they-continued-to-spread-both-on-and-off-the-platform/">promote cross-platform diffusion of misinformation</a>. Major social media platforms may need to coordinate efforts to combat misinformation.

Facebook was largely blamed for its failure to combat misinformation 
during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Although engagement – 
likes, shares and comments – with misinformation on Facebook peaked with
 160 million per month during the 2016 presidential election, the level 
in July 2018, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168019848554">60 million per month</a>, was still at high levels.

More recent evidence shows that Facebook’s approach still needs work 
when it comes to managing accounts that spread misinformation, flagging 
misinformation posts and reducing the reach of those accounts and posts.
 In April 2020, fact-checkers notified Facebook about 59 accounts that 
spread misinformation about COVID-19. As of November 2021, <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/november-2021/">31 of them were still active</a>. Also, Chinese state-run Facebook accounts have been <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/april-2022/">spreading misinformation about the war in Ukraine</a> in English to their hundreds of millions of followers.

While Twitter has generally not been treated as the biggest culprit 
of misinformation since 2016, it is unclear if its misinformation 
measures are sufficient. In fact, shares of misinformation on Twitter 
increased from about 3 million per month during the 2016 presidential 
election <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168019848554">to about 5 million per month in July 2018</a>.

This pattern seems to have continued as over 300,000 Tweets – excluding retweets – included links that were <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">flagged as false after fact checks</a>
 between April 2019 and February 2021. Fewer than 3% of these tweets 
were presented with warning labels or pop-up boxes. Among tweets that 
shared the same link to misinformation, only a minority displayed these 
warnings, suggesting that the process of putting warnings on 
misinformation is not automatic, uniform or efficient. Twitter did 
announce that it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/technology/midterms-misinformation-tiktok-facebook.html">redesigned labels</a> to hinder further interactions and facilitate clicks for additional information.

As the fastest-growing social media platform, TikTok has two notable characteristics: Its predominantly young adult user base <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/">regularly consumes news on the platform</a>,
 and its short videos often come with attention-grabbing images and 
sounds. While these videos are more difficult to review than text-based 
content, they are more likely to be recalled, evoke emotion and persuade
 people.

TikTok’s approach to misinformation needs major improvements. A 
search for prominent news topics in September 2022 turned up 
user-generated videos, <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/september-2022/">20% of which included misinformation</a>,
 and videos containing misinformation were often in the first five 
results. When neutral phrases were used as search terms, for example 
“2022 elections,” TikTok’s search bar suggested more phrases that were 
charged, for example “January 6 FBI.” Also, TikTok presents reliable 
sources <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/march-2022/">alongside accounts that spread misinformation</a>.

Between April 2019 and February 2021, 170 YouTube videos were flagged
 as false by a fact-checking organization. Just over half of them were <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">presented with “learn more” information panels</a>, though without being flagged as false. YouTube seems to have added information panels mostly <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">by automatically detecting certain keywords</a> involving controversial topics like COVID-19, not necessarily after checking the content of the video for misinformation.

YouTube could recommend more content by reliable sources to mitigate 
the challenge of reviewing all uploaded videos for misinformation. One 
experiment collected the list of recommended videos after a user with an
 empty viewing history watched one video that was marked as false after 
fact checks. Of the recommended videos, 18.4% <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">were misleading or hyperpartisan</a> and three of the top 10 recommended channels had <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">a mixed or low factual reporting score</a> from <a href="https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/">Media Bias/Fact Check</a>.

Anjana Susarla, Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

A major concern for misinformation researchers as the 2022 midterms 
approach is the prevalence of false narratives about the 2020 election. A
 team of misinformation experts at the <a href="https://shorensteincenter.org/programs/technology-social-change/">Technology and Social Change</a> project studied a group of <a href="https://mediamanipulation.org/research/deplatforming-index-research-brief">online influencers</a> across platforms who amassed large followings from the “<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-capitol-siege-ivanka-trump-biden-presidential-56da6a3963ee91021b4a52a0b4b00e62">big lie</a>,”
 the false claim that there was widespread election fraud in the 2020 
election. The Washington Post published an analysis on Sept. 20, 2022, 
that found that most of the 77 accounts the newspaper identified as the 
biggest spreaders of disinformation about the 2020 election <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/20/social-media-influencers-election-fraud/">were still active </a> on all four social media platforms.

Overall, I believe that none of the platforms have addressed these issues very effectively. 

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, exempts politicians from 
fact-checking rules. They also do not ban political ads, unlike Twitter 
or TikTok. Meta has not released any policies publicly about how its 
rules specifically protect against misinformation, which has left <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/19/facebook-midterm-misinformation-strategy/">observers questioning its readiness</a> to deal with disinformation during the midterms.

Of particular concern are politicians benefiting from microtargeting –
 targeting narrow demographics – through election misinformation, such 
as a congressional candidate <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/19/facebook-midterm-misinformation-strategy/">who ran an ad campaign on Facebook</a> alleging a cover-up of “ballot harvesting” during the 2020 election. Election disinformation <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23329139/latino-voters-misinformation-2022">targeted at minority communities</a>,
 especially Hispanic and Latino communities, on messaging apps such as 
WhatsApp is another major enforcement challenge for Meta when the 
company’s content moderation resources are primarily allocated to 
English-language media.

Twitter does not allow political advertising and has made the most 
effort at reducing election-related misinformation. Twitter has 
highlighted its <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/19/election-misinformation-social-media-big-lie-report">use of “prebunking</a>,” the process of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/misinformation-desk/202108/what-is-prebunking">educating people about disinformation tactics</a>, as an effective way of reducing the spread of misinformation.

However, Twitter has also been inconsistent in enforcing its 
policies. For example, Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake asked 
her followers on Twitter if they would be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/midterms-elections-social-media-civil-rights/">willing to monitor the polls</a> for cases of voter fraud, which led civil rights advocates to warn of potential intimidation at polling stations.

TikTok does not allow political advertising, which makes 
microtargeting from election-related misinformation less of a problem on
 this platform. Many researchers have highlighted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/14/business/media/on-tiktok-election-misinformation.html">TikTok’s lack of transparency</a>,
 unlike platforms such as Twitter and Facebook that have been more 
amenable to efforts from researchers, including sharing data. TikTok’s 
stated content moderation approach has been that “questionable content” 
will not be amplified through recommendations.

However, video and audio content may be harder to moderate than 
textual content. The danger on platforms such as TikTok is that once a 
misleading video is taken down by the platform, a manipulated and 
republished version could easily circulate on the platform. Facebook, 
for example, employs AI-assisted methods to <a href="https://ai.facebook.com/blog/heres-how-were-using-ai-to-help-detect-misinformation/">detect what it calls “near-duplications</a>
 of known misinformation at scale.” TikTok has not released details of 
how it will address near-duplications of election-related 
misinformation.

Internationally, TikTok has faced immense criticism for its inability
 to tamp down election-related misinformation. TikTok accounts <a href="https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/campaigns/tiktok-german-election-2021/">impersonated prominent political figures</a> during Germany’s last national election.

YouTube’s policy is to remove “violative” narratives and terminate channels that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/20/social-media-influencers-election-fraud/">receive three strikes in a 90-day period</a>.
 While this may be effective in controlling some types of 
misinformation, YouTube has been vulnerable to fairly insidious 
election-related content, including disinformation about ballot 
trafficking. A disinformation movie titled “<a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/19/election-misinformation-social-media-big-lie-report">2000 mules</a>” is still circulating on the platform.

Observers have faulted YouTube for not doing enough internationally 
to address election-related misinformation. In Brazil, for example, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/brazils-far-right-plots-its-own-january-6-insurrection/">sharing YouTube videos on the messaging app Telegram</a>
 has become a popular way to spread misinformation related to elections.
 This suggests that YouTube may be vulnerable to organized 
election-related disinformation in the U.S. as well.

Scott Shackelford, Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University

Many of the threats to American democracy have stemmed from internal 
divisions fed by inequality, injustice and racism. These fissures have 
been, from time to time, purposefully widened and deepened by foreign 
nations wishing to distract and destabilize the U.S. government. The 
advent of cyberspace has put the disinformation process into overdrive, 
both speeding the viral spread of stories across national boundaries and
 platforms and causing a proliferation in the types of traditional and 
social media willing to run with fake stories. Some social media 
networks have proved more able than others at meeting the moment. 

Despite moves to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/meta-says-removes-china-based-propaganda-operation-targeting-us-midterms-2022-09-27/">limit</a>
 the spread of Chinese propaganda on Facebook, there seems to be a 
bipartisan consensus that Facebook has not learned its lessons from the 
2016 election cycle. Indeed, it still allows political ads, including 
one from Republican congressional candidate Joe Kent <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/19/facebook-midterm-misinformation-strategy/">claiming “rampant voter fraud</a>” in the 2020 elections.

Though it has taken some steps toward transparency, as seen in its <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2022/08/17/midterms-research-facebook-political-ads/?sh=6f2258df7974">Ad Library</a>, it has a long way to go to win back consumer confidence and uphold its <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebooks-social-responsibility-should-include-privacy-protection-94549">social responsibility</a>.

Twitter came out before other leading social media firms in banning 
political ads on its platform, though it has faced criticism for 
inconsistent enforcement. The Indiana University Observatory on Social 
Media, for example, has a tool called <a href="https://hoaxy.osome.iu.edu/#query=2022%20elections&amp;sort=mixed&amp;type=Twitter&amp;lang=">Hoaxy</a> that enables real-time searches for a wide array of disinformation.

The * for this grade lies in the concern for Twitter’s future efforts to fight disinformation <a href="https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-is-wrong-research-shows-content-rules-on-twitter-help-preserve-free-speech-from-bots-and-other-manipulation-182317">given its potential acquisition by Elon Musk</a>, who has been <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-free-speech-twitter-global-censorship/">vocal</a> about his desire to permit uninhibited speech.

The fact that TikTok does not allow political advertising on the 
surface bodes well for its ability to root out disinformation, but it 
has been apparent that its ability to do so in practice <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/14/business/media/on-tiktok-election-misinformation.html">is very limited</a>. AI-enabled deep fakes in particular are <a href="https://theconversation.com/celebrity-deepfakes-are-all-over-tiktok-heres-why-theyre-becoming-common-and-how-you-can-spot-them-187079">a growing problem on TikTok</a>, something that the other social media networks have been able to monitor to greater effect.

Its <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/our-commitment-to-election-integrity">efforts</a> at standing up an <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/17/tiktok-launches-an-in-app-u-s-midterms-elections-center-shares-plan-to-fight-misinformation/">election center</a>,
 ban deep fakes and flag disinformation are welcome but are reactive and
 coming too late, with voting already underway in some states.

Google has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/01/tech/google-youtube-election-misinformation/index.html">announced</a>
 new steps to crack down on misinformation across its platforms, 
including YouTube, such as by highlighting local and regional 
journalism, but as we’re seeing in the “Stop the Steal” narrative from 
the <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/youtube-meta-pushing-bolsonaro-stop-050000780.html">Brazilian election</a>, so far misinformation continues to flow freely.

Dam Hee Kim&nbsp; is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Arizona. Anjana Susarla is a Professor of Information Systems at Michigan State University. Scott Shackelford is a Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666032519814.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAM HEE KIM, ANJANA SASARLA and SCOTT SHACKELFORD <a href="https://theconversation.com/experts-grade-facebook-tiktok-twitter-youtube-on-readiness-to-handle-midterm-election-misinformation-191249">The Conversation</a>The 2016 U.S. election was a wake-up call about the dangers of 
political misinformation on social media. With two more election cycles 
rife with misinformation under their belts, social media companies have 
experience identifying and countering misinformation. However, the 
nature of the threat misinformation poses to society continues to shift 
in form and targets. The big lie about the 2020 presidential election 
has become a major theme, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/business/media/midterms-foreign-language-misinformation.html">immigrant communities are increasingly in the crosshairs</a> of disinformation campaigns – deliberate efforts to spread misinformation.Social media companies have announced plans to deal with misinformation in the 2022 midterm elections, but the companies <a href="https://techpolicy.press/looking-to-the-midterms-the-state-of-platform-policies-on-u-s-political-speech/">vary in their approaches and effectiveness</a>. We asked experts on social media to grade how ready Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube are to handle the task.
<h2>2022 is looking like 2020</h2>Dam Hee Kim, Assistant Professor of Communication, University of ArizonaSocial media are <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/">important sources of news for most Americans</a> in 2022, but they also could be a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820943878">fertile ground for spreading misinformation</a>.
 Major social media platforms announced plans for dealing with 
misinformation in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, but experts noted 
that they are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/technology/midterms-misinformation-tiktok-facebook.html">not very different from their 2020 plans</a>.One important consideration: Users are not constrained to using just one platform. One company’s intervention may backfire and <a href="https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/twitter-flagged-donald-trumps-tweets-with-election-misinformation-they-continued-to-spread-both-on-and-off-the-platform/">promote cross-platform diffusion of misinformation</a>. Major social media platforms may need to coordinate efforts to combat misinformation. Facebook/Meta: CFacebook was largely blamed for its failure to combat misinformation 
during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Although engagement – 
likes, shares and comments – with misinformation on Facebook peaked with
 160 million per month during the 2016 presidential election, the level 
in July 2018, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168019848554">60 million per month</a>, was still at high levels. More recent evidence shows that Facebook’s approach still needs work 
when it comes to managing accounts that spread misinformation, flagging 
misinformation posts and reducing the reach of those accounts and posts.
 In April 2020, fact-checkers notified Facebook about 59 accounts that 
spread misinformation about COVID-19. As of November 2021, <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/november-2021/">31 of them were still active</a>. Also, Chinese state-run Facebook accounts have been <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/april-2022/">spreading misinformation about the war in Ukraine</a> in English to their hundreds of millions of followers.Twitter: BWhile Twitter has generally not been treated as the biggest culprit 
of misinformation since 2016, it is unclear if its misinformation 
measures are sufficient. In fact, shares of misinformation on Twitter 
increased from about 3 million per month during the 2016 presidential 
election <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168019848554">to about 5 million per month in July 2018</a>. This pattern seems to have continued as over 300,000 Tweets – excluding retweets – included links that were <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">flagged as false after fact checks</a>
 between April 2019 and February 2021. Fewer than 3% of these tweets 
were presented with warning labels or pop-up boxes. Among tweets that 
shared the same link to misinformation, only a minority displayed these 
warnings, suggesting that the process of putting warnings on 
misinformation is not automatic, uniform or efficient. Twitter did 
announce that it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/technology/midterms-misinformation-tiktok-facebook.html">redesigned labels</a> to hinder further interactions and facilitate clicks for additional information.TikTok: DAs the fastest-growing social media platform, TikTok has two notable characteristics: Its predominantly young adult user base <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/">regularly consumes news on the platform</a>,
 and its short videos often come with attention-grabbing images and 
sounds. While these videos are more difficult to review than text-based 
content, they are more likely to be recalled, evoke emotion and persuade
 people. TikTok’s approach to misinformation needs major improvements. A 
search for prominent news topics in September 2022 turned up 
user-generated videos, <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/september-2022/">20% of which included misinformation</a>,
 and videos containing misinformation were often in the first five 
results. When neutral phrases were used as search terms, for example 
“2022 elections,” TikTok’s search bar suggested more phrases that were 
charged, for example “January 6 FBI.” Also, TikTok presents reliable 
sources <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/march-2022/">alongside accounts that spread misinformation</a>.YouTube: B-Between April 2019 and February 2021, 170 YouTube videos were flagged
 as false by a fact-checking organization. Just over half of them were <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">presented with “learn more” information panels</a>, though without being flagged as false. YouTube seems to have added information panels mostly <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">by automatically detecting certain keywords</a> involving controversial topics like COVID-19, not necessarily after checking the content of the video for misinformation. YouTube could recommend more content by reliable sources to mitigate 
the challenge of reviewing all uploaded videos for misinformation. One 
experiment collected the list of recommended videos after a user with an
 empty viewing history watched one video that was marked as false after 
fact checks. Of the recommended videos, 18.4% <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">were misleading or hyperpartisan</a> and three of the top 10 recommended channels had <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03662191/document">a mixed or low factual reporting score</a> from <a href="https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/">Media Bias/Fact Check</a>.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z3N5y7OLhmE"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The big lie</h2>Anjana Susarla, Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State UniversityA major concern for misinformation researchers as the 2022 midterms 
approach is the prevalence of false narratives about the 2020 election. A
 team of misinformation experts at the <a href="https://shorensteincenter.org/programs/technology-social-change/">Technology and Social Change</a> project studied a group of <a href="https://mediamanipulation.org/research/deplatforming-index-research-brief">online influencers</a> across platforms who amassed large followings from the “<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-capitol-siege-ivanka-trump-biden-presidential-56da6a3963ee91021b4a52a0b4b00e62">big lie</a>,”
 the false claim that there was widespread election fraud in the 2020 
election. The Washington Post published an analysis on Sept. 20, 2022, 
that found that most of the 77 accounts the newspaper identified as the 
biggest spreaders of disinformation about the 2020 election <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/20/social-media-influencers-election-fraud/">were still active </a> on all four social media platforms. Overall, I believe that none of the platforms have addressed these issues very effectively. Facebook/Meta: B-Meta, Facebook’s parent company, exempts politicians from 
fact-checking rules. They also do not ban political ads, unlike Twitter 
or TikTok. Meta has not released any policies publicly about how its 
rules specifically protect against misinformation, which has left <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/19/facebook-midterm-misinformation-strategy/">observers questioning its readiness</a> to deal with disinformation during the midterms. Of particular concern are politicians benefiting from microtargeting –
 targeting narrow demographics – through election misinformation, such 
as a congressional candidate <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/19/facebook-midterm-misinformation-strategy/">who ran an ad campaign on Facebook</a> alleging a cover-up of “ballot harvesting” during the 2020 election. Election disinformation <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23329139/latino-voters-misinformation-2022">targeted at minority communities</a>,
 especially Hispanic and Latino communities, on messaging apps such as 
WhatsApp is another major enforcement challenge for Meta when the 
company’s content moderation resources are primarily allocated to 
English-language media. Twitter: BTwitter does not allow political advertising and has made the most 
effort at reducing election-related misinformation. Twitter has 
highlighted its <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/19/election-misinformation-social-media-big-lie-report">use of “prebunking</a>,” the process of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/misinformation-desk/202108/what-is-prebunking">educating people about disinformation tactics</a>, as an effective way of reducing the spread of misinformation. However, Twitter has also been inconsistent in enforcing its 
policies. For example, Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake asked 
her followers on Twitter if they would be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/midterms-elections-social-media-civil-rights/">willing to monitor the polls</a> for cases of voter fraud, which led civil rights advocates to warn of potential intimidation at polling stations.TikTok: DTikTok does not allow political advertising, which makes 
microtargeting from election-related misinformation less of a problem on
 this platform. Many researchers have highlighted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/14/business/media/on-tiktok-election-misinformation.html">TikTok’s lack of transparency</a>,
 unlike platforms such as Twitter and Facebook that have been more 
amenable to efforts from researchers, including sharing data. TikTok’s 
stated content moderation approach has been that “questionable content” 
will not be amplified through recommendations. However, video and audio content may be harder to moderate than 
textual content. The danger on platforms such as TikTok is that once a 
misleading video is taken down by the platform, a manipulated and 
republished version could easily circulate on the platform. Facebook, 
for example, employs AI-assisted methods to <a href="https://ai.facebook.com/blog/heres-how-were-using-ai-to-help-detect-misinformation/">detect what it calls “near-duplications</a>
 of known misinformation at scale.” TikTok has not released details of 
how it will address near-duplications of election-related 
misinformation. Internationally, TikTok has faced immense criticism for its inability
 to tamp down election-related misinformation. TikTok accounts <a href="https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/campaigns/tiktok-german-election-2021/">impersonated prominent political figures</a> during Germany’s last national election. YouTube: B-YouTube’s policy is to remove “violative” narratives and terminate channels that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/20/social-media-influencers-election-fraud/">receive three strikes in a 90-day period</a>.
 While this may be effective in controlling some types of 
misinformation, YouTube has been vulnerable to fairly insidious 
election-related content, including disinformation about ballot 
trafficking. A disinformation movie titled “<a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/19/election-misinformation-social-media-big-lie-report">2000 mules</a>” is still circulating on the platform. Observers have faulted YouTube for not doing enough internationally 
to address election-related misinformation. In Brazil, for example, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/brazils-far-right-plots-its-own-january-6-insurrection/">sharing YouTube videos on the messaging app Telegram</a>
 has become a popular way to spread misinformation related to elections.
 This suggests that YouTube may be vulnerable to organized 
election-related disinformation in the U.S. as well. <h2>A range of readiness</h2>Scott Shackelford, Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana UniversityMany of the threats to American democracy have stemmed from internal 
divisions fed by inequality, injustice and racism. These fissures have 
been, from time to time, purposefully widened and deepened by foreign 
nations wishing to distract and destabilize the U.S. government. The 
advent of cyberspace has put the disinformation process into overdrive, 
both speeding the viral spread of stories across national boundaries and
 platforms and causing a proliferation in the types of traditional and 
social media willing to run with fake stories. Some social media 
networks have proved more able than others at meeting the moment. <h2>Facebook/Meta: C</h2>Despite moves to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/meta-says-removes-china-based-propaganda-operation-targeting-us-midterms-2022-09-27/">limit</a>
 the spread of Chinese propaganda on Facebook, there seems to be a 
bipartisan consensus that Facebook has not learned its lessons from the 
2016 election cycle. Indeed, it still allows political ads, including 
one from Republican congressional candidate Joe Kent <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/19/facebook-midterm-misinformation-strategy/">claiming “rampant voter fraud</a>” in the 2020 elections. Though it has taken some steps toward transparency, as seen in its <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2022/08/17/midterms-research-facebook-political-ads/?sh=6f2258df7974">Ad Library</a>, it has a long way to go to win back consumer confidence and uphold its <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebooks-social-responsibility-should-include-privacy-protection-94549">social responsibility</a>.<h2>Twitter: B*</h2>Twitter came out before other leading social media firms in banning 
political ads on its platform, though it has faced criticism for 
inconsistent enforcement. The Indiana University Observatory on Social 
Media, for example, has a tool called <a href="https://hoaxy.osome.iu.edu/#query=2022%20elections&amp;sort=mixed&amp;type=Twitter&amp;lang=">Hoaxy</a> that enables real-time searches for a wide array of disinformation. The * for this grade lies in the concern for Twitter’s future efforts to fight disinformation <a href="https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-is-wrong-research-shows-content-rules-on-twitter-help-preserve-free-speech-from-bots-and-other-manipulation-182317">given its potential acquisition by Elon Musk</a>, who has been <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-free-speech-twitter-global-censorship/">vocal</a> about his desire to permit uninhibited speech.<h2>TikTok: F</h2>The fact that TikTok does not allow political advertising on the 
surface bodes well for its ability to root out disinformation, but it 
has been apparent that its ability to do so in practice <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/14/business/media/on-tiktok-election-misinformation.html">is very limited</a>. AI-enabled deep fakes in particular are <a href="https://theconversation.com/celebrity-deepfakes-are-all-over-tiktok-heres-why-theyre-becoming-common-and-how-you-can-spot-them-187079">a growing problem on TikTok</a>, something that the other social media networks have been able to monitor to greater effect.Its <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/our-commitment-to-election-integrity">efforts</a> at standing up an <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/17/tiktok-launches-an-in-app-u-s-midterms-elections-center-shares-plan-to-fight-misinformation/">election center</a>,
 ban deep fakes and flag disinformation are welcome but are reactive and
 coming too late, with voting already underway in some states.<h2>YouTube: C+</h2>Google has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/01/tech/google-youtube-election-misinformation/index.html">announced</a>
 new steps to crack down on misinformation across its platforms, 
including YouTube, such as by highlighting local and regional 
journalism, but as we’re seeing in the “Stop the Steal” narrative from 
the <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/youtube-meta-pushing-bolsonaro-stop-050000780.html">Brazilian election</a>, so far misinformation continues to flow freely.Dam Hee Kim&nbsp; is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Arizona. Anjana Susarla is a Professor of Information Systems at Michigan State University. Scott Shackelford is a Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191249/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

Are the social media giants prepared for midterm misinformation?

By LILY O'SHEA-BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/21/why-me-university-of-kansas-physicist-thought-800000-macarthur-genius-grant-was-a-prank/">Kansas Reflector</a>

LAWRENCE
 — The MacArthur Foundation has named a physicist and assistant 
professor at the University of Kansas a 2022 fellow and awarded him the 
reputable “genius grant.”

The MacArthur Foundation recognized 
Steven Prohira for his creative work in the advancement of detecting 
ultra-high energy neutrino particles. According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2022/steven-prohira#searchresults">MacArthur Foundation</a>,
 Prohira’s work includes expertise in theory, engineering and 
experimental design. The $800,000 grant, which is awarded to 20 to 30 
innovators across the country annually, is described by the MacArthur 
Foundation as a no-strings-attached investment in the fellows’ 
potentials.

“I thought it was totally a prank,” 
Prohira said about his phone call from the MacArthur Foundation. 
“There’s no way. I didn’t believe it at all. … Then once I did believe 
it, just immense gratitude and sort of feelings of, ‘Why me?’ ”

Prohira and his colleagues have 
developed a radar echo telescope, with the end-goal of using radio waves
 to detect neutrino particles of energy higher than has ever been 
recorded. Neutrinos are elusive fundamental subatomic particles that 
move throughout the universe. Neutrino particles are building blocks of 
nature, along with other fundamental particles, such as electrons.

While neutrino particles are 
extremely common, with tens of billions passing through a human body 
every second, they are extremely difficult to detect.

“I think what’s exciting about it is 
that neutrinos sort of give us this glimpse into something that’s beyond
 our current models of physics,” Prohira said.

Because there is a lack of 
information concerning ultra-high energy neutrino particles, detecting 
them would provide new knowledge of nature and the universe.

The highest energy neutrino particles
 recorded to date were detected in the South Pole by the IceCube 
Neutrino Observatory at about a mile below the ice.

The interaction of neutrino particles
 passing through ice creates charged particles. The charged particles 
ionize the ice, allowing the IceCube experiment to detect optical light.

Prohira’s approach is different. 
Through prototype studies with the radar echo telescope, Prohira and his
 colleagues have proven that bouncing radio waves off ionization 
deposits works to detect particles. While the primary particle used for 
the study was not a neutrino particle and plastic was used in place of 
ice, Prohira plans to test this process with ice in 2023.

Prohira is not sure how he will use his grant.

“I have a lot of ideas, but it’s like
 asking what you do if you won the lottery. I’ve never thought about it.
 It doesn’t fit into my research plans. It doesn’t fit into my life 
plans. So I have ideas, but nothing concrete yet,” Prohira said.

Prohira said the most pressing matter
 concerning his work is testing the radar echo telescope with ice. A 
field test is planned for January at KU, and Prohira hopes to deploy to 
the polar regions, either Greenland or Antarctica, next year.

Initially, Prohira planned on 
pursuing a career in art, with interests in drawing and woodblock 
prints. He received his undergraduate degree in fine arts from Gonzaga 
University in 2009.

“My artwork started to revolve around
 trying to get a viewer to ask scientific questions,” he said. “So I was
 interested in making pieces that looked a little bit weird or unusual 
that people would ask, ‘How does that work?’ And they weren’t very good,
 so I found that I was most interested in actually studying what was 
going on underneath what I was doing.”

While enrolled in KU’s master of fine
 arts program, Prohira began to take electives in the physics and 
astronomy program, eventually changing his degree. By 2016 he earned his
 master’s degree and in 2018 he graduated KU with a doctoral degree.

“We’re tremendously proud of 
professor Prohira’s achievements that led to this exciting recognition,”
 said chancellor Douglas A. Girod <a target="_blank" href="https://news.ku.edu/2022/10/13/ku-physicist-named-class-2022-macarthur-fellows">in a statement</a>.
 “It will be thrilling to see what he discovers next as he continues on 
his path of discovery that is illuminating fresh, new ideas about the 
cosmos and is pushing out the limits of our knowledge.”

“I’m also on several other 
experiments that are trying to detect neutrinos in different ways, too, 
and so the field in general is really exciting, because there’s lots of 
challenges to detecting these things and those challenges require 
creative solutions,” Prohira said.

Prohira is a member of the Payload 
for Ultrahigh Energy Observations team. The team is part of a NASA 
experiment, which uses a stratospheric balloon to experiment with radio 
waves and ultra-high energy neutrinos.

“I want to stress, these awards are 
for individual creativity, which is really great, but in science nothing
 is done alone, so my work is hugely collaborative. I have a great group
 of people that I work on the radar echo telescope (with),” Prohira 
said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666377978353.png" alt="Steven Prohira, a physicist and assistant professor at the University of Kansas, received an $800,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation for his work in detecting ultra-high energy neutrino particles. (Lily O’Shea Becker for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Steven Prohira, a physicist and assistant professor at the University of Kansas, received an $800,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation for his work in detecting ultra-high energy neutrino particles. (Lily O’Shea Becker for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By LILY O'SHEA-BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/21/why-me-university-of-kansas-physicist-thought-800000-macarthur-genius-grant-was-a-prank/">Kansas Reflector</a>LAWRENCE
 — The MacArthur Foundation has named a physicist and assistant 
professor at the University of Kansas a 2022 fellow and awarded him the 
reputable “genius grant.”The MacArthur Foundation recognized 
Steven Prohira for his creative work in the advancement of detecting 
ultra-high energy neutrino particles. According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2022/steven-prohira#searchresults">MacArthur Foundation</a>,
 Prohira’s work includes expertise in theory, engineering and 
experimental design. The $800,000 grant, which is awarded to 20 to 30 
innovators across the country annually, is described by the MacArthur 
Foundation as a no-strings-attached investment in the fellows’ 
potentials.“I thought it was totally a prank,” 
Prohira said about his phone call from the MacArthur Foundation. 
“There’s no way. I didn’t believe it at all. … Then once I did believe 
it, just immense gratitude and sort of feelings of, ‘Why me?’ ”Prohira and his colleagues have 
developed a radar echo telescope, with the end-goal of using radio waves
 to detect neutrino particles of energy higher than has ever been 
recorded. Neutrinos are elusive fundamental subatomic particles that 
move throughout the universe. Neutrino particles are building blocks of 
nature, along with other fundamental particles, such as electrons.While neutrino particles are 
extremely common, with tens of billions passing through a human body 
every second, they are extremely difficult to detect.“I think what’s exciting about it is 
that neutrinos sort of give us this glimpse into something that’s beyond
 our current models of physics,” Prohira said.Because there is a lack of 
information concerning ultra-high energy neutrino particles, detecting 
them would provide new knowledge of nature and the universe.The highest energy neutrino particles
 recorded to date were detected in the South Pole by the IceCube 
Neutrino Observatory at about a mile below the ice.The interaction of neutrino particles
 passing through ice creates charged particles. The charged particles 
ionize the ice, allowing the IceCube experiment to detect optical light.Prohira’s approach is different. 
Through prototype studies with the radar echo telescope, Prohira and his
 colleagues have proven that bouncing radio waves off ionization 
deposits works to detect particles. While the primary particle used for 
the study was not a neutrino particle and plastic was used in place of 
ice, Prohira plans to test this process with ice in 2023.Prohira is not sure how he will use his grant.“I have a lot of ideas, but it’s like
 asking what you do if you won the lottery. I’ve never thought about it.
 It doesn’t fit into my research plans. It doesn’t fit into my life 
plans. So I have ideas, but nothing concrete yet,” Prohira said.Prohira said the most pressing matter
 concerning his work is testing the radar echo telescope with ice. A 
field test is planned for January at KU, and Prohira hopes to deploy to 
the polar regions, either Greenland or Antarctica, next year.Initially, Prohira planned on 
pursuing a career in art, with interests in drawing and woodblock 
prints. He received his undergraduate degree in fine arts from Gonzaga 
University in 2009.“My artwork started to revolve around
 trying to get a viewer to ask scientific questions,” he said. “So I was
 interested in making pieces that looked a little bit weird or unusual 
that people would ask, ‘How does that work?’ And they weren’t very good,
 so I found that I was most interested in actually studying what was 
going on underneath what I was doing.”While enrolled in KU’s master of fine
 arts program, Prohira began to take electives in the physics and 
astronomy program, eventually changing his degree. By 2016 he earned his
 master’s degree and in 2018 he graduated KU with a doctoral degree.“We’re tremendously proud of 
professor Prohira’s achievements that led to this exciting recognition,”
 said chancellor Douglas A. Girod <a target="_blank" href="https://news.ku.edu/2022/10/13/ku-physicist-named-class-2022-macarthur-fellows">in a statement</a>.
 “It will be thrilling to see what he discovers next as he continues on 
his path of discovery that is illuminating fresh, new ideas about the 
cosmos and is pushing out the limits of our knowledge.”“I’m also on several other 
experiments that are trying to detect neutrinos in different ways, too, 
and so the field in general is really exciting, because there’s lots of 
challenges to detecting these things and those challenges require 
creative solutions,” Prohira said.Prohira is a member of the Payload 
for Ultrahigh Energy Observations team. The team is part of a NASA 
experiment, which uses a stratospheric balloon to experiment with radio 
waves and ultra-high energy neutrinos.“I want to stress, these awards are 
for individual creativity, which is really great, but in science nothing
 is done alone, so my work is hugely collaborative. I have a great group
 of people that I work on the radar echo telescope (with),” Prohira 
said.

‘Why me?’: KU physicist thought $800K grant was a prank

WASHINGTON (AP) — The worst-of-the-worst nursing homes will face tougher penalties if conditions don't improve at their facilities, the Biden administration announced Friday.

The intensified scrutiny on some nursing homes,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/number-of-nursing-facility-residents/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D">where more than a million people are housed,</a>&nbsp;comes nearly two years after COVID-19 exposed subpar care and extreme staffing shortages that had long festered in the facilities.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/over-200000-residents-and-staff-in-long-term-care-facilities-have-died-from-covid-19/">Nursing home residents have been significantly more likely</a>&nbsp;to die from COVID-19;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/over-200000-residents-and-staff-in-long-term-care-facilities-have-died-from-covid-19/">as of February, more than 200,000 nursing home staffers or residents had died from the virus</a>.

President Joe Biden had promised during his State of the Union address in February&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-address-joe-biden-coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-0a102fed5d75affdd130164f4beba97d">to overhaul the nation's nursing home system but some</a>&nbsp;of those initiatives have yet to be implemented fully.

The new guidelines announced Friday will apply to less than 0.5% of the nation's nursing homes. The facilities are already designated as a “special focus facility” because of a previous violation and are on a watchlist of sorts that requires the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare to monitor them more regularly.

Starting Friday, those nursing homes will lose federal funding if they receive more than one dangerous violation — rule-breaking that put residents at risk for harm. They will also be monitored for a minimum of three years. CMS will also consider staffing levels at the nursing homes when adding facilities to its watchlist. Currently, 88 nursing homes are on the list.

“Let us be clear: We are cracking down on enforcement of our nation’s poorest-performing nursing homes,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

The agency is studying staffing ratios at nursing homes, with the aim of implementing requirements. The study is expected to be completed next year.

The administration also announced $80 million worth of grants that will be given to health care organizations, trade groups or labor unions to train and hire nursing staff. Organizations have until Jan. 6 to apply for the money.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656451712383.png" alt="“Let us be clear: We are cracking down on enforcement of our nation’s poorest-performing nursing homes,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra." />
 <figcaption>“Let us be clear: We are cracking down on enforcement of our nation’s poorest-performing nursing homes,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The worst-of-the-worst nursing homes will face tougher penalties if conditions don't improve at their facilities, the Biden administration announced Friday.The intensified scrutiny on some nursing homes,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/number-of-nursing-facility-residents/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D">where more than a million people are housed,</a>&nbsp;comes nearly two years after COVID-19 exposed subpar care and extreme staffing shortages that had long festered in the facilities.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/over-200000-residents-and-staff-in-long-term-care-facilities-have-died-from-covid-19/">Nursing home residents have been significantly more likely</a>&nbsp;to die from COVID-19;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/over-200000-residents-and-staff-in-long-term-care-facilities-have-died-from-covid-19/">as of February, more than 200,000 nursing home staffers or residents had died from the virus</a>.President Joe Biden had promised during his State of the Union address in February&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-address-joe-biden-coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-0a102fed5d75affdd130164f4beba97d">to overhaul the nation's nursing home system but some</a>&nbsp;of those initiatives have yet to be implemented fully.The new guidelines announced Friday will apply to less than 0.5% of the nation's nursing homes. The facilities are already designated as a “special focus facility” because of a previous violation and are on a watchlist of sorts that requires the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare to monitor them more regularly.Starting Friday, those nursing homes will lose federal funding if they receive more than one dangerous violation — rule-breaking that put residents at risk for harm. They will also be monitored for a minimum of three years. CMS will also consider staffing levels at the nursing homes when adding facilities to its watchlist. Currently, 88 nursing homes are on the list.“Let us be clear: We are cracking down on enforcement of our nation’s poorest-performing nursing homes,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.The agency is studying staffing ratios at nursing homes, with the aim of implementing requirements. The study is expected to be completed next year.The administration also announced $80 million worth of grants that will be given to health care organizations, trade groups or labor unions to train and hire nursing staff. Organizations have until Jan. 6 to apply for the money.

Failing US nursing homes to face tougher federal penalties

&nbsp;JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man pleaded guilty to violating the Kansas Retailers’ Sales Tax Act and was ordered to pay nearly $120,000 in restitution and penalties, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Bryan Huff, 36, of Leawood, pleaded guilty yesterday in Johnson County District Court to misdemeanor charges of violating the sales tax act. Judge Thomas M. Sutherland accepted the plea and sentenced Huff to pay $79,436.72 in restitution, $39,718.36 in penalties and a $5,000 fine. Huff was also sentenced to serve 45 days in jail; his jail sentence was suspended and he was placed on six months of probation. He must serve 60 days on house arrest as a condition of his probation. The court also granted 20 days jail credit for time served prior to the plea as agreed to by Huff and the state.

The charges stemmed from Huff’s purchase of luxury automobiles, failing to report the accurate purchase price and therefore failing to pay the actual required sales tax on the vehicles. The case was investigated by the Kansas Department of Revenue.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666289550853.png" alt="Huff-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Huff-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man pleaded guilty to violating the Kansas Retailers’ Sales Tax Act and was ordered to pay nearly $120,000 in restitution and penalties, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.Bryan Huff, 36, of Leawood, pleaded guilty yesterday in Johnson County District Court to misdemeanor charges of violating the sales tax act. Judge Thomas M. Sutherland accepted the plea and sentenced Huff to pay $79,436.72 in restitution, $39,718.36 in penalties and a $5,000 fine. Huff was also sentenced to serve 45 days in jail; his jail sentence was suspended and he was placed on six months of probation. He must serve 60 days on house arrest as a condition of his probation. The court also granted 20 days jail credit for time served prior to the plea as agreed to by Huff and the state.The charges stemmed from Huff’s purchase of luxury automobiles, failing to report the accurate purchase price and therefore failing to pay the actual required sales tax on the vehicles. The case was investigated by the Kansas Department of Revenue.

Kan. man admits not paying required sales tax on luxury automobiles

TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is objecting to an advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision this week to include the COVID-19 vaccination on a list that states often rely upon to determine which childhood vaccinations to require, saying votes taken on the matter were premature.

Schmidt joined 13 other state attorneys general in filing a public comment letter with the CDC regarding votes taken by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which voted to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of childhood immunizations. Also under consideration is whether to include the COVID-19 vaccine in the Vaccine for Children Program (VFC). The program, created by Congress, provides vaccines for low-income children against polio, measles, mumps and rotavirus. The ACIP votes were taken prior to the close of the public comment period on the proposed CDC requirement.

“The first rule of medicine is to do no harm. But these actions cause a great deal of harm,” the attorneys general wrote. "Putting the COVID-19 vaccine on the list of vaccines for children could … undoubtedly accelerate a rejection by many American families of more traditional vaccinations due to the CDC’s increasingly sullied credibility. There is still much we do not know about the virus, its origins, and, importantly, the vaccines. And there is widespread disagreement as to whether kids need to be vaccinated.”

Schmidt and the other attorneys general said that taking such an action could deny parents the freedom to determine whether to subject their children to the vaccine that is still subject to emergency use authorization not full FDA approval.

"States have traditionally relied heavily on these lists to inform their vaccination policies," the attorneys general wrote. "As a result, in many states, your decision is unnecessary and&nbsp;subjects children to retaliation for their parent or guardian’s decisions to decline this vaccination."

Schmidt has been active in pushing back against the Biden Administration’s mandates issued in response to the pandemic. Schmidt has obtained a permanent injunction against a vaccine and mask mandate for all staff, volunteers and children participating in the federal Head Start program He has also obtained federal court injunctions blocking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine mandate for private employers and the federal contractor vaccine mandate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635537216378.png" alt="COVID vaccine for children- photo courtesy Pfizer" />
 <figcaption>COVID vaccine for children- photo courtesy Pfizer</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is objecting to an advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision this week to include the COVID-19 vaccination on a list that states often rely upon to determine which childhood vaccinations to require, saying votes taken on the matter were premature.Schmidt joined 13 other state attorneys general in filing a public comment letter with the CDC regarding votes taken by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which voted to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of childhood immunizations. Also under consideration is whether to include the COVID-19 vaccine in the Vaccine for Children Program (VFC). The program, created by Congress, provides vaccines for low-income children against polio, measles, mumps and rotavirus. The ACIP votes were taken prior to the close of the public comment period on the proposed CDC requirement.“The first rule of medicine is to do no harm. But these actions cause a great deal of harm,” the attorneys general wrote. "Putting the COVID-19 vaccine on the list of vaccines for children could … undoubtedly accelerate a rejection by many American families of more traditional vaccinations due to the CDC’s increasingly sullied credibility. There is still much we do not know about the virus, its origins, and, importantly, the vaccines. And there is widespread disagreement as to whether kids need to be vaccinated.”Schmidt and the other attorneys general said that taking such an action could deny parents the freedom to determine whether to subject their children to the vaccine that is still subject to emergency use authorization not full FDA approval."States have traditionally relied heavily on these lists to inform their vaccination policies," the attorneys general wrote. "As a result, in many states, your decision is unnecessary and&nbsp;subjects children to retaliation for their parent or guardian’s decisions to decline this vaccination."Schmidt has been active in pushing back against the Biden Administration’s mandates issued in response to the pandemic. Schmidt has obtained a permanent injunction against a vaccine and mask mandate for all staff, volunteers and children participating in the federal Head Start program He has also obtained federal court injunctions blocking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine mandate for private employers and the federal contractor vaccine mandate.

Kan. AG objects to new CDC COVID vaccine guidance for  children

CHEROKEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal accident that occurred just after 11a.m. Saturday in Cherokee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a driverless Alis Chalmers 190 tractor struck a 2006 Chevy 1500 and a pedestrian identified as 73-year-old Joseph M. Carlson of Cherokee, Kansas, at 2715 NW Liberty Road.

EMS transported Carlson to Via Christi in Pittsburg where he was pronounced dead.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Authorities are working to determine what caused the accident, according to the KHP.

CHEROKEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal accident that occurred just after 11a.m. Saturday in Cherokee County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a driverless Alis Chalmers 190 tractor struck a 2006 Chevy 1500 and a pedestrian identified as 73-year-old Joseph M. Carlson of Cherokee, Kansas, at 2715 NW Liberty Road.EMS transported Carlson to Via Christi in Pittsburg where he was pronounced dead.&nbsp;&nbsp;Authorities are working to determine what caused the accident, according to the KHP.

KHP: Riderless tractor struck, killed Kansas man

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said that when it comes to what the Federal Reserve says it is going to do next month, believe them.

"They're going to raise rates," Goss said. "That's an economic headwind. We're going to see unemployment rates rise, instead of coming down. We're going to see employment growth coming down, instead of increasing. We're going to see the economy slow down. It's a stagflation for sure. That's higher inflation at a time that the economy is either not growing or in a recession."

Goss remains skeptical that the economic brakes being applied can result in a soft landing for the U.S.

"Here's the scary part, the Federal Reserve, normally, they get it wrong most times," Goss said. "They go too far almost every time. When we get into an inflationary territory, they attempt to bring us in for a soft landing by raising rates. They generally go too far and it's not a soft landing. It's a bumpy landing."

Nonetheless, Goss is not sure that the news will be all bad after the bumps.

"I think it's not going to be quite as grim as most economists," Goss said. "Almost 100% of economists are saying recession next year. I think we could avoid a recession, but it's going to be slow to no growth."

Goss issues two surveys monthly of the Midwest region, including Kansas.

By NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said that when it comes to what the Federal Reserve says it is going to do next month, believe them."They're going to raise rates," Goss said. "That's an economic headwind. We're going to see unemployment rates rise, instead of coming down. We're going to see employment growth coming down, instead of increasing. We're going to see the economy slow down. It's a stagflation for sure. That's higher inflation at a time that the economy is either not growing or in a recession."Goss remains skeptical that the economic brakes being applied can result in a soft landing for the U.S."Here's the scary part, the Federal Reserve, normally, they get it wrong most times," Goss said. "They go too far almost every time. When we get into an inflationary territory, they attempt to bring us in for a soft landing by raising rates. They generally go too far and it's not a soft landing. It's a bumpy landing."Nonetheless, Goss is not sure that the news will be all bad after the bumps."I think it's not going to be quite as grim as most economists," Goss said. "Almost 100% of economists are saying recession next year. I think we could avoid a recession, but it's going to be slow to no growth."Goss issues two surveys monthly of the Midwest region, including Kansas.

Creighton Economist: Slowdown coming, likely bumpy landing

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and have made an arrest.

Just after 6pm Monday, police responded to an armed robbery in the 1900 block of South Hydraulic in Wichita, according to a media release. 

Officers learned that&nbsp;31-year-old Joseph Rest-Isaac just robbed the DD Smoke Shop at gunpoint demanding money, watches, cigarettes and fled on foot.

During follow up WPD Officer Dustin Nail and K9 Nash went to the last known location of Rest-Isaac and began searching. 

They located him a short time later in the 1800 block of South Ellis where he was hiding in the rafters of a garage with a small caliber handgun and methamphetamines in his possession. 

He was taken into custody and booked on requested charges&nbsp;of Aggravated Robbery w/dangerous weapon, Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, and possession of opiates.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666195703633.png" alt="Rest-Isaac-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Rest-Isaac-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and have made an arrest.Just after 6pm Monday, police responded to an armed robbery in the 1900 block of South Hydraulic in Wichita, according to a media release. Officers learned that&nbsp;31-year-old Joseph Rest-Isaac just robbed the DD Smoke Shop at gunpoint demanding money, watches, cigarettes and fled on foot.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666195811632.png" alt="Nash-photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Nash-photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>During follow up WPD Officer Dustin Nail and K9 Nash went to the last known location of Rest-Isaac and began searching. They located him a short time later in the 1800 block of South Ellis where he was hiding in the rafters of a garage with a small caliber handgun and methamphetamines in his possession. He was taken into custody and booked on requested charges&nbsp;of Aggravated Robbery w/dangerous weapon, Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, and possession of opiates.

Police K9 found Kan. armed robbery suspect hiding in garage rafters

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect after a traffic stop involving&nbsp; a U-Haul truck Thursday morning south of Holton, Kansas.

Just after 11:30a.m. Oct. 20, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a U-Haul truck near 190th Road on U.S. Highway 75 for a traffic infraction, according to sheriff Tim Morse. Through the course of the investigation, deputies located contraband during the stop.

  The driver, Timothy Wayne Lucas, 63, of Yukon, Oklahoma, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence, transporting an open container. 

 The passenger, Fredrick Andrew Gooch, 42, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was arrested on requested charges of distributing methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a hallucinogenic drug and transporting an open container.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666353856678.png" alt="Lucas-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Lucas-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect after a traffic stop involving&nbsp; a U-Haul truck Thursday morning south of Holton, Kansas.Just after 11:30a.m. Oct. 20, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a U-Haul truck near 190th Road on U.S. Highway 75 for a traffic infraction, according to sheriff Tim Morse. Through the course of the investigation, deputies located contraband during the stop.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666353856678.png" alt="Lucas" />
 <figcaption>Lucas</figcaption>
 </figure> The driver, Timothy Wayne Lucas, 63, of Yukon, Oklahoma, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence, transporting an open container. The passenger, Fredrick Andrew Gooch, 42, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was arrested on requested charges of distributing methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a hallucinogenic drug and transporting an open container.

Sheriff: Two men transported meth with u-haul in Kansas

STEVENS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a suspicious death in February have made an arrest.

Eight months ago, police found a man unresponsive in the 100 Block of South Wilson in Hugoton, according to a media release.&nbsp;&nbsp;

With the assistance of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Liberal Police, authorities this week arrested 29-year-old Justin Martinez of Hugoton on requested charges of distribution of a controlled substance causing death and distribution of a controlled substance using a telecommunication device. Martinez is being held in the Stevens County Jail.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police forward the case to the county attorney.&nbsp;Martinez has two previous convictions for burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666349035068.png" alt="Martinez has two previous convictions for burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Martinez has two previous convictions for burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>STEVENS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a suspicious death in February have made an arrest.Eight months ago, police found a man unresponsive in the 100 Block of South Wilson in Hugoton, according to a media release.&nbsp;&nbsp;With the assistance of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Liberal Police, authorities this week arrested 29-year-old Justin Martinez of Hugoton on requested charges of distribution of a controlled substance causing death and distribution of a controlled substance using a telecommunication device. Martinez is being held in the Stevens County Jail.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police forward the case to the county attorney.&nbsp;Martinez has two previous convictions for burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

Kansas felon accused in drug deal death 

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A Salina auto dealership is out an $80,000 pickup after someone arranged online to purchase and ship the vehicle using a stolen ID.

On Sept. 29, someone pretending to be Howard Dunbar contacted Long McArthur, 3450 S. Ninth Street in Salina, about purchasing a 2021 Ford F150 pickup valued at $80,000, according to&nbsp;Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

 The person sent Long McArthur the required documents and was approved for the purchase. The sale was finalized on Oct. 6.

The person made arrangements to have the pickup delivered to a business location in Virginia on Oct. 10, Forrester said.

On Tuesday, the real Howard Dunbar, 48, of Alabama, received a letter from the Ford Motor Company about the pickup purchase. Dunbar reported that he had not purchased the pickup.

It was determined that someone had stolen Dunbar's identification and used it to purchase the pickup, according to Forrester.

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostA Salina auto dealership is out an $80,000 pickup after someone arranged online to purchase and ship the vehicle using a stolen ID.On Sept. 29, someone pretending to be Howard Dunbar contacted Long McArthur, 3450 S. Ninth Street in Salina, about purchasing a 2021 Ford F150 pickup valued at $80,000, according to&nbsp;Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester. The person sent Long McArthur the required documents and was approved for the purchase. The sale was finalized on Oct. 6.The person made arrangements to have the pickup delivered to a business location in Virginia on Oct. 10, Forrester said.On Tuesday, the real Howard Dunbar, 48, of Alabama, received a letter from the Ford Motor Company about the pickup purchase. Dunbar reported that he had not purchased the pickup.It was determined that someone had stolen Dunbar's identification and used it to purchase the pickup, according to Forrester.

Thief used stolen ID to 'buy' $80,000 pickup from Kan. dealer

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a 76-year-old woman after a shooting Friday night in Ogden.

Just after 9p.m., the Riley County Communications Center received a call from the woman stating she had shot her husband, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department. When officers arrived on scene, they found a 75-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

The man was transported to Via Christi in critical condition and later life-flighted to Stormont Vail in Topeka for further treatment.

Just before 1a.m. Saturday, officers arrested Bernice Farmer, 76, of Ogden on requested charges of attempted second-degree murder. She is being held on a $100,000 Bond, according to the RCPD.

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a 76-year-old woman after a shooting Friday night in Ogden.Just after 9p.m., the Riley County Communications Center received a call from the woman stating she had shot her husband, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department. When officers arrived on scene, they found a 75-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.The man was transported to Via Christi in critical condition and later life-flighted to Stormont Vail in Topeka for further treatment.Just before 1a.m. Saturday, officers arrested Bernice Farmer, 76, of Ogden on requested charges of attempted second-degree murder. She is being held on a $100,000 Bond, according to the RCPD.

Police: 76-year-old Kan. woman jailed for shooting her husband

DOUGLAS COUNTY—Law enforcement and fire investigators are investigating a series of suspicious fires.

Firefighters have responded to several grassfires in recent weeks that occurred generally in the same area southeast of Lawrence and south of Eudora to the Johnson County line, according to Douglas County Sheriff's Department spokesman George Diepenbrock.

Due to the similar nature and timing of the fires that tend to cluster around the same location, they are considered suspicious in nature.

Douglas County Sheriff's Office investigators are asking for help from community members who might have seen any suspicious activity or vehicles in the area of the fires.

Anyone with potential information to assist investigators can contact the Sheriff’s Office, 785-841-0007, or Douglas County Crime Stoppers, 785-843-TIPS (8477), where callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666382863441.png" alt="Image Douglas Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Image Douglas Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—Law enforcement and fire investigators are investigating a series of suspicious fires.Firefighters have responded to several grassfires in recent weeks that occurred generally in the same area southeast of Lawrence and south of Eudora to the Johnson County line, according to Douglas County Sheriff's Department spokesman George Diepenbrock.Due to the similar nature and timing of the fires that tend to cluster around the same location, they are considered suspicious in nature.Douglas County Sheriff's Office investigators are asking for help from community members who might have seen any suspicious activity or vehicles in the area of the fires.Anyone with potential information to assist investigators can contact the Sheriff’s Office, 785-841-0007, or Douglas County Crime Stoppers, 785-843-TIPS (8477), where callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

Sheriff asking for help on investigation of Kansas grass fires

By COLIN DAYAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/pit-bulls-went-from-americas-best-friend-to-public-enemy-now-theyre-slowly-coming-full-circle-192483">The Conversation</a>

As recently as 50 years ago, the pit bull was America’s favorite dog.
 Pit bulls were everywhere. They were popular in advertising and used to
 promote the joys of pet-and-human friendship. <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/high-fidelity-nipper-the-rca-dog/">Nipper on the RCA Victor label</a>, <a href="https://www.kennel.com/our-gang-the-little-rascals-and-petey-the-pit-bull/">Pete the Pup</a> in the “Our Gang” comedy short films, and the flag-wrapped dog on a <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WW1_poster_featuring_a_pit_bull.jpg">classic World War I poster</a> all were pit bulls.

With <a href="https://www.metlifepetinsurance.com/blog/breed-spotlights/national-pitbull-awareness-day/">National Pit Bull Awareness Day</a> celebrated on Oct. 26, it’s a fitting time to ask how these dogs came to be seen as a dangerous threat.

Starting around 1990, multiple features of American life converged to
 inspire widespread bans that made pit bulls outlaws, called “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-13-mn-62013-story.html">four-legged guns</a>” or “<a href="https://www.deseret.com/1995/12/26/19211866/pit-bulls-are-lethal-ban-them">lethal weapons</a>.”
 The drivers included some dog attacks, excessive parental caution, 
fearful insurance companies and a tie to the sport of dog fighting.

As a professor of <a href="http://colindayan.com/">humanities and law</a>,
 I have studied the legal history of slaves, vagrants, criminals, terror
 suspects and others deemed threats to civilized society. For my books “<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691157870/the-law-is-a-white-dog">The Law is a White Dog</a>” and “<a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/with-dogs-at-the-edge-of-life/9780231167123">With Dogs at the Edge of Life</a>,” I explored human-dog relationships and how laws and regulations can deny equal protection to entire classes of beings.

In my experience with these dogs – including nearly 12 years living 
with Stella, the daughter of champion fighting dogs – I have learned 
that pit bulls are not inherently dangerous. Like other dogs, they can 
become dangerous in certain situations, and at the hands of certain 
owners. But in my view, there is no defensible rationale for condemning 
not only all pit bulls, but any dog with a single pit bull gene, as <a href="https://www.forallanimals.org/pit-bull-terriers-breed-discriminatory-legislation-faqs/">some laws do</a>.

I see such action as canine profiling, which recalls another legal fiction: the <a href="https://www.amacad.org/publication/one-drop-one-hate">taint or stain of blood</a> that ordained human degradation and race hatred in the United States.

The pit bull is strong. Its jaw grip is almost impossible to break. Bred over centuries to <a href="https://www.tuftsyourdog.com/dogtrainingandbehavior/dear-doctor-pit-bulls-and-locking-jaws/">bite and hold large animals</a> like bears and bulls around the face and head, it’s known as a “game dog.” Its bravery and strength <a href="https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/pit-bulls-safety">won’t allow it to give up</a>, no matter how long the struggle. It loves with the same strength; its loyalty remains <a href="https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls">the stuff of legend</a>.

For decades pit bulls’ tenacity encouraged the sport of dogfighting, 
with the dogs “pitted” against each other. Fights often went to the 
death, and winning animals earned huge sums for those who bet on them.  

But betting on dogs is not a high-class sport. Dogs are not horses; 
they cost little to acquire and maintain. Pit bulls easily and quickly 
became associated with the poor, and <a href="https://law.lclark.edu/live/files/32171-25-1-third-articlepdf">especially with Black men</a>, in a narrative that connected pit bulls with gang violence and crime.

That’s how prejudice works: The one-on-one <a href="https://drexel.edu/%7E/media/Files/law/law%20review/v10-3/Saucier%2010%20Drexel%20L%20Rev%20673.ashx">lamination of the pit bull onto the African American male</a> reduced people to their accessories.

Dogfighting was <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-dog-fighting">outlawed in all 50 states by 1976</a>, although illegal businesses persisted. Coverage of the practice spawned <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/pit-bull-ban-aggressive-dog-breed-bronwen-dickey">broad assertions</a>
 about the dogs that did the fighting. As breed bans proliferated, legal
 rulings proclaimed these dogs “dangerous to the safety or health of the
 community” and judged that “<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/166/698/">public interests demand that the worthless shall be exterminated</a>.”

In 1987 Sports Illustrated put a pit bull, teeth bared, on its cover,
 with the headline “Beware of this Dog,” which it characterized as <a href="https://vault.si.com/vault/1987/07/27/the-pit-bull-friend-and-killer-is-the-pit-bull-a-fine-animal-as-its-admirers-claim-or-is-it-a-vicious-dog-unfit-for-society">born with “a will to kill</a>.”
 Time magazine published “Time Bombs on Legs” featuring this “vicious 
hound of the Baskervilles” that “seized small children like rag dolls 
and mauled them to death in <a href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,965065,00.html">a frenzy of bloodletting</a>.”

If a dog has “vicious propensities,” the owner is assumed to share in
 this projected violence, both legally and generally in public 
perception. And once deemed “contraband,” both property and people are 
at risk.  

This was evident in the much-publicized 2007 <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306009/the-lost-dogs-by-jim-gorant/">indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick</a> for running a dogfighting business called Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia. Even the <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/">Humane Society of the United States</a> and <a href="https://www.peta.org/">People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals</a>
 – two of the nation’s leading animal welfare advocacy groups – argued 
that the 47 pit bulls recovered from the facility should be killed 
because they <a href="https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-95941sy0aug03-story.html">posed a threat to people and other animals</a>.

If not for the intervention of <a href="https://bestfriends.org/">Best Friends Animal Society</a>, Vick’s dogs would have been euthanized. As the film “<a href="http://www.championsdocumentary.com/the-dogs">Champions</a>” recounts, a <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/article/lessons-learned-acting-guardianspecial-master-bad-newz-kennels-case">court-appointed special master</a> determined each dog’s fate. Ultimately, nearly all of the dogs were successfully placed in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/21/michael-vick-dog-survivor-frodo-dies/">sanctuaries or adoptive homes</a>.

Pit bulls still suffer more than any other dogs from the fact that 
they are a type of dog, not a distinct breed. Once recognized by the 
American Kennel Club as an <a href="https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/american-staffordshire-terrier/">American Staffordshire terrier</a>, popularly known as an Amstaff, and registered with the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeders Association as an <a href="https://www.ukcdogs.com/american-pit-bull-terrier">American pit bull terrier</a>, now any dog characterized as a “pit bull type” can be <a href="https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/dayan-dead-dogs/">considered an outlaw</a> in many communities.

For example, in its 2012 <a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/md-court-of-appeals/1599539.html">Tracey v. Solesky ruling</a>,
 the Maryland Court of Appeals modified the state’s common law in cases 
involving dog injuries. Any dog containing pit bull genes was 
“inherently dangerous” as a matter of law.

This subjected owners and landlords to what the courts call “<a href="https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/strict+liability">strict liability</a>.”
 As the court declared: “When an attack involves pit bulls, it is no 
longer necessary to prove that the particular pit bull or pit bulls are 
dangerous.”

Dissenting from the ruling, Judge Clayton Greene recognized the 
absurdity of the majority opinion’s “unworkable rule”: “How much ‘pit 
bull,’” he asked, “must there be in a dog to bring it within the strict 
liability edict?”

It’s equally unanswerable how to tell when a dog is a pit bull mix. 
From the shape of its head? Its stance? The way it looks at you?

Conundrums like these call into question statistics that show pit bulls to be <a href="https://www.coloradoinjurylaw.com/dog-bite-statistics/">more dangerous than other breeds</a>. These figures vary a great deal depending on their sources.

Any statistics about pit bull attacks depend on the definition of a 
pit bull – yet it’s really hard to get good dog bite data that <a href="https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2017-11-15/dangerous-dog-debate">accurately IDs the breed</a>.

Over the past decade, awareness has grown that breed-specific legislation <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/why-breed-specific-legislation-not-answer">does not make the public safer</a> but does <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/01/pitbull-ban-lawsuit-prince-georges/">penalize responsible owners and their dogs</a>. Currently 21 states prohibit local government from enforcing breed-specific legislation or <a href="https://wagwalking.com/daily/what-states-allow-pit-bulls">naming specific breeds in dangerous dog laws</a>. Maryland passed a law reversing the Tracey ruling in 2014. Yet 15 states still <a href="https://dogsandclogs.com/states-with-pitbull-bans/#15_states_with_Pit_Bull_bans">allow local communities to enact breed-specific bans</a>.

Pit bulls demand a great deal more from humans than some dogs, but 
alongside their bracing way of being in the world, we humans learn 
another way of thinking and loving. Compared with many other breeds, 
they offer a more demanding but always affecting communion.

Colin Dayan is a Professor of English, Robert Penn Warren Professor in the Humanities, and Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666455734752.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLIN DAYAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/pit-bulls-went-from-americas-best-friend-to-public-enemy-now-theyre-slowly-coming-full-circle-192483">The Conversation</a>As recently as 50 years ago, the pit bull was America’s favorite dog.
 Pit bulls were everywhere. They were popular in advertising and used to
 promote the joys of pet-and-human friendship. <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/high-fidelity-nipper-the-rca-dog/">Nipper on the RCA Victor label</a>, <a href="https://www.kennel.com/our-gang-the-little-rascals-and-petey-the-pit-bull/">Pete the Pup</a> in the “Our Gang” comedy short films, and the flag-wrapped dog on a <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WW1_poster_featuring_a_pit_bull.jpg">classic World War I poster</a> all were pit bulls.With <a href="https://www.metlifepetinsurance.com/blog/breed-spotlights/national-pitbull-awareness-day/">National Pit Bull Awareness Day</a> celebrated on Oct. 26, it’s a fitting time to ask how these dogs came to be seen as a dangerous threat. Starting around 1990, multiple features of American life converged to
 inspire widespread bans that made pit bulls outlaws, called “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-13-mn-62013-story.html">four-legged guns</a>” or “<a href="https://www.deseret.com/1995/12/26/19211866/pit-bulls-are-lethal-ban-them">lethal weapons</a>.”
 The drivers included some dog attacks, excessive parental caution, 
fearful insurance companies and a tie to the sport of dog fighting.As a professor of <a href="http://colindayan.com/">humanities and law</a>,
 I have studied the legal history of slaves, vagrants, criminals, terror
 suspects and others deemed threats to civilized society. For my books “<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691157870/the-law-is-a-white-dog">The Law is a White Dog</a>” and “<a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/with-dogs-at-the-edge-of-life/9780231167123">With Dogs at the Edge of Life</a>,” I explored human-dog relationships and how laws and regulations can deny equal protection to entire classes of beings. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666455864151.png" alt=" Stella, a pit bull owned by author Colin Dayan. Colin Dayan, CC BY-ND " />
 <figcaption> Stella, a pit bull owned by author Colin Dayan. Colin Dayan, CC BY-ND </figcaption>
 </figure>In my experience with these dogs – including nearly 12 years living 
with Stella, the daughter of champion fighting dogs – I have learned 
that pit bulls are not inherently dangerous. Like other dogs, they can 
become dangerous in certain situations, and at the hands of certain 
owners. But in my view, there is no defensible rationale for condemning 
not only all pit bulls, but any dog with a single pit bull gene, as <a href="https://www.forallanimals.org/pit-bull-terriers-breed-discriminatory-legislation-faqs/">some laws do</a>. I see such action as canine profiling, which recalls another legal fiction: the <a href="https://www.amacad.org/publication/one-drop-one-hate">taint or stain of blood</a> that ordained human degradation and race hatred in the United States. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666455907786.png" alt=" English artist Francis Barraud (1856-1924) painted his brother’s dog Nipper listening to the horn of an early phonograph in 1898. Victor Talking Machine Co. began using the symbol in its trademark, His Master’s Voice, in 1900. Wikipedia " />
 <figcaption> English artist Francis Barraud (1856-1924) painted his brother’s dog Nipper listening to the horn of an early phonograph in 1898. Victor Talking Machine Co. began using the symbol in its trademark, His Master’s Voice, in 1900. Wikipedia </figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Bred to fight</h2>The pit bull is strong. Its jaw grip is almost impossible to break. Bred over centuries to <a href="https://www.tuftsyourdog.com/dogtrainingandbehavior/dear-doctor-pit-bulls-and-locking-jaws/">bite and hold large animals</a> like bears and bulls around the face and head, it’s known as a “game dog.” Its bravery and strength <a href="https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/pit-bulls-safety">won’t allow it to give up</a>, no matter how long the struggle. It loves with the same strength; its loyalty remains <a href="https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls">the stuff of legend</a>. For decades pit bulls’ tenacity encouraged the sport of dogfighting, 
with the dogs “pitted” against each other. Fights often went to the 
death, and winning animals earned huge sums for those who bet on them. But betting on dogs is not a high-class sport. Dogs are not horses; 
they cost little to acquire and maintain. Pit bulls easily and quickly 
became associated with the poor, and <a href="https://law.lclark.edu/live/files/32171-25-1-third-articlepdf">especially with Black men</a>, in a narrative that connected pit bulls with gang violence and crime.That’s how prejudice works: The one-on-one <a href="https://drexel.edu/%7E/media/Files/law/law%20review/v10-3/Saucier%2010%20Drexel%20L%20Rev%20673.ashx">lamination of the pit bull onto the African American male</a> reduced people to their accessories. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666455968529.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>Dogfighting was <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-dog-fighting">outlawed in all 50 states by 1976</a>, although illegal businesses persisted. Coverage of the practice spawned <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/pit-bull-ban-aggressive-dog-breed-bronwen-dickey">broad assertions</a>
 about the dogs that did the fighting. As breed bans proliferated, legal
 rulings proclaimed these dogs “dangerous to the safety or health of the
 community” and judged that “<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/166/698/">public interests demand that the worthless shall be exterminated</a>.”In 1987 Sports Illustrated put a pit bull, teeth bared, on its cover,
 with the headline “Beware of this Dog,” which it characterized as <a href="https://vault.si.com/vault/1987/07/27/the-pit-bull-friend-and-killer-is-the-pit-bull-a-fine-animal-as-its-admirers-claim-or-is-it-a-vicious-dog-unfit-for-society">born with “a will to kill</a>.”
 Time magazine published “Time Bombs on Legs” featuring this “vicious 
hound of the Baskervilles” that “seized small children like rag dolls 
and mauled them to death in <a href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,965065,00.html">a frenzy of bloodletting</a>.”<h2>Presumed vicious</h2>If a dog has “vicious propensities,” the owner is assumed to share in
 this projected violence, both legally and generally in public 
perception. And once deemed “contraband,” both property and people are 
at risk. This was evident in the much-publicized 2007 <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306009/the-lost-dogs-by-jim-gorant/">indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick</a> for running a dogfighting business called Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia. Even the <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/">Humane Society of the United States</a> and <a href="https://www.peta.org/">People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals</a>
 – two of the nation’s leading animal welfare advocacy groups – argued 
that the 47 pit bulls recovered from the facility should be killed 
because they <a href="https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-95941sy0aug03-story.html">posed a threat to people and other animals</a>.If not for the intervention of <a href="https://bestfriends.org/">Best Friends Animal Society</a>, Vick’s dogs would have been euthanized. As the film “<a href="http://www.championsdocumentary.com/the-dogs">Champions</a>” recounts, a <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/article/lessons-learned-acting-guardianspecial-master-bad-newz-kennels-case">court-appointed special master</a> determined each dog’s fate. Ultimately, nearly all of the dogs were successfully placed in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/21/michael-vick-dog-survivor-frodo-dies/">sanctuaries or adoptive homes</a>.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5GmJNTRhafI"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Debating breed bans</h2>Pit bulls still suffer more than any other dogs from the fact that 
they are a type of dog, not a distinct breed. Once recognized by the 
American Kennel Club as an <a href="https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/american-staffordshire-terrier/">American Staffordshire terrier</a>, popularly known as an Amstaff, and registered with the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeders Association as an <a href="https://www.ukcdogs.com/american-pit-bull-terrier">American pit bull terrier</a>, now any dog characterized as a “pit bull type” can be <a href="https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/dayan-dead-dogs/">considered an outlaw</a> in many communities. For example, in its 2012 <a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/md-court-of-appeals/1599539.html">Tracey v. Solesky ruling</a>,
 the Maryland Court of Appeals modified the state’s common law in cases 
involving dog injuries. Any dog containing pit bull genes was 
“inherently dangerous” as a matter of law. This subjected owners and landlords to what the courts call “<a href="https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/strict+liability">strict liability</a>.”
 As the court declared: “When an attack involves pit bulls, it is no 
longer necessary to prove that the particular pit bull or pit bulls are 
dangerous.” Dissenting from the ruling, Judge Clayton Greene recognized the 
absurdity of the majority opinion’s “unworkable rule”: “How much ‘pit 
bull,’” he asked, “must there be in a dog to bring it within the strict 
liability edict?”It’s equally unanswerable how to tell when a dog is a pit bull mix. 
From the shape of its head? Its stance? The way it looks at you?Conundrums like these call into question statistics that show pit bulls to be <a href="https://www.coloradoinjurylaw.com/dog-bite-statistics/">more dangerous than other breeds</a>. These figures vary a great deal depending on their sources. Any statistics about pit bull attacks depend on the definition of a 
pit bull – yet it’s really hard to get good dog bite data that <a href="https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2017-11-15/dangerous-dog-debate">accurately IDs the breed</a>. <figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4uEpEAD23Dc"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Over the past decade, awareness has grown that breed-specific legislation <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/why-breed-specific-legislation-not-answer">does not make the public safer</a> but does <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/01/pitbull-ban-lawsuit-prince-georges/">penalize responsible owners and their dogs</a>. Currently 21 states prohibit local government from enforcing breed-specific legislation or <a href="https://wagwalking.com/daily/what-states-allow-pit-bulls">naming specific breeds in dangerous dog laws</a>. Maryland passed a law reversing the Tracey ruling in 2014. Yet 15 states still <a href="https://dogsandclogs.com/states-with-pitbull-bans/#15_states_with_Pit_Bull_bans">allow local communities to enact breed-specific bans</a>. Pit bulls demand a great deal more from humans than some dogs, but 
alongside their bracing way of being in the world, we humans learn 
another way of thinking and loving. Compared with many other breeds, 
they offer a more demanding but always affecting communion.Colin Dayan is a Professor of English, Robert Penn Warren Professor in the Humanities, and Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666456414214.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192483/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

🎥 Pit bulls: Coming full circle from 'public enemy' status

RENO COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities and USD 308 officials are investigating after a student brought a loaded gun to Hutchinson Middle School-7 on Friday.

At approximately 10:15 p.m. Thursday, Hutchinson Police Department officers were notified of an incident where a student pointed a firearm at another student while at Hutchinson Middle School-7,&nbsp;210 E Avenue A, Hutchinson, earlier in the day, according to a media release from police. Officers immediately attempted to locate the student but were unsuccessful.

&nbsp;Friday morning, uniformed and plain clothes officers were stationed at the school and the student was contacted upon his arrival. A search of his backpack revealed a loaded firearm, and the student was taken into custody. Due to the victim and suspect being twelve years of age, their names will not be released.

Based on the information police have now there is no evidence the student intended to conduct a mass shooting, but this is an ongoing investigation.

Hutchinson Police are asking anyone who may have information in reference to this incident to call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 1-800-222-TIPS, the Hutchinson Police Department at 620-694-2834, or use your P3Tips App on your smartphone.

&nbsp;Hutchinson Middle School-7 Principal and Hutchinson Police Department seized a gun from a student entering school Friday, according to a statement from&nbsp;USD 308 Superintendent Dr. Dawn Johnson.

"Through proper reporting and people speaking up, Nate Henry, Principal, was able to have police presence at the school when the student entered. The gun has been confiscated by police, and the student is in police custody."

"Classes at HMS-7 were in a lockdown for a short period of time Friday morning, and all students and staff are safe."

"We thank the individuals who spoke up to report the concern and bring it to the attention of the principal, and we appreciate Mr. Henry being proactive and working with Hutch PD to keep our students and community safe."

RENO COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities and USD 308 officials are investigating after a student brought a loaded gun to Hutchinson Middle School-7 on Friday.At approximately 10:15 p.m. Thursday, Hutchinson Police Department officers were notified of an incident where a student pointed a firearm at another student while at Hutchinson Middle School-7,&nbsp;210 E Avenue A, Hutchinson, earlier in the day, according to a media release from police. Officers immediately attempted to locate the student but were unsuccessful.&nbsp;Friday morning, uniformed and plain clothes officers were stationed at the school and the student was contacted upon his arrival. A search of his backpack revealed a loaded firearm, and the student was taken into custody. Due to the victim and suspect being twelve years of age, their names will not be released.Based on the information police have now there is no evidence the student intended to conduct a mass shooting, but this is an ongoing investigation.Hutchinson Police are asking anyone who may have information in reference to this incident to call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 1-800-222-TIPS, the Hutchinson Police Department at 620-694-2834, or use your P3Tips App on your smartphone.-----&nbsp;Hutchinson Middle School-7 Principal and Hutchinson Police Department seized a gun from a student entering school Friday, according to a statement from&nbsp;USD 308 Superintendent Dr. Dawn Johnson."Through proper reporting and people speaking up, Nate Henry, Principal, was able to have police presence at the school when the student entered. The gun has been confiscated by police, and the student is in police custody.""Classes at HMS-7 were in a lockdown for a short period of time Friday morning, and all students and staff are safe.""We thank the individuals who spoke up to report the concern and bring it to the attention of the principal, and we appreciate Mr. Henry being proactive and working with Hutch PD to keep our students and community safe."

Police: Gun seized from student at Kan. middle school  was loaded

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Friday that the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana granted Missouri and Louisiana’s request for depositions from top-ranking officials in the federal government, according to a statement from Schmitt's office.

<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/doc-90---order-regarding-witness-depositions.pdf?sfvrsn=24c99caa_2">Click here to</a>&nbsp;read the full ruling

This is movement in Schmitt's lawsuit against top-ranking Biden Administration officials for allegedly colluding to suppress freedom of speech.

The list of granted depositions includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Director of White House Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, CISA Director Jen Easterly, and FBI Supervisory Special Agent Elvis Chan.

“After finding documentation of a collusive relationship between the Biden Administration and social media companies to censor free speech, we immediately filed a motion to get these officials under oath,”&nbsp;said Attorney General Schmitt. “It is high time we shine a light on this censorship enterprise and force these officials to come clean to the American people, and this ruling will allow us to do just that. We’ll keep pressing for the truth.” The original lawsuit was filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on May 5, 2022. Missouri and Louisiana filed a Motion for Expedited Preliminary Injunction-Related Discovery on June 17, 2022, and that motion was granted on July 12, 2022, clearing the way for Missouri and Louisiana to gather discovery and documents from Biden Administration officials and social media companies. The request for depositions was filed on October 10, 2022, and that motion was granted on October 21, 2022, allowing Missouri and Louisiana to depose top-ranking officials in the federal government under oath.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635717989853.png" alt="The list of granted depositions includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The list of granted depositions includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Friday that the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana granted Missouri and Louisiana’s request for depositions from top-ranking officials in the federal government, according to a statement from Schmitt's office.<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/doc-90---order-regarding-witness-depositions.pdf?sfvrsn=24c99caa_2">Click here to</a>&nbsp;read the full rulingThis is movement in Schmitt's lawsuit against top-ranking Biden Administration officials for allegedly colluding to suppress freedom of speech.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We applaud the truth-seeking tenacity of <a href="https://twitter.com/AGEricSchmitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGEricSchmitt</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/AGJeffLandry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGJeffLandry</a> to hold accountable those who abused positions of trust, deprived Constitutional rights &amp; those who may lie under oath. <a href="https://t.co/jWMLD3NBjl">https://t.co/jWMLD3NBjl</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1583788172169064448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The list of granted depositions includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Director of White House Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, CISA Director Jen Easterly, and FBI Supervisory Special Agent Elvis Chan.“After finding documentation of a collusive relationship between the Biden Administration and social media companies to censor free speech, we immediately filed a motion to get these officials under oath,”&nbsp;said Attorney General Schmitt. “It is high time we shine a light on this censorship enterprise and force these officials to come clean to the American people, and this ruling will allow us to do just that. We’ll keep pressing for the truth.” The original lawsuit was filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on May 5, 2022. Missouri and Louisiana filed a Motion for Expedited Preliminary Injunction-Related Discovery on June 17, 2022, and that motion was granted on July 12, 2022, clearing the way for Missouri and Louisiana to gather discovery and documents from Biden Administration officials and social media companies. The request for depositions was filed on October 10, 2022, and that motion was granted on October 21, 2022, allowing Missouri and Louisiana to depose top-ranking officials in the federal government under oath.

Missouri AG approved to depose Fauci, others over tech censorship 

By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/20/national-faculty-group-to-investigate-layoffs-finances-and-academic-freedom-at-emporia-state/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The American Association of University Professors says it will investigate the <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/22/emporia-state-university-faculty-leaders-wait-for-answers-after-rapid-firing-of-tenured-professors/">dismissal of tenured faculty members</a> at Emporia State University, a move that could result in adding the university to a list of censured institutions.

The university in September took emergency action to eliminate the 
jobs of 33 faculty members, most of whom were tenured professors, and 
eliminated several programs as part of a strategic realignment. The 
Kansas Board of Regents endorsed the moves.

The AAUP investigation will examine whether the university’s 
financial condition was dire enough to justify the suspension of tenure,
 the faculty’s role in university plans, which programs were 
discontinued and general conditions for academic freedom.

A spokeswoman for ESU said the administration disagrees with allegations made by AAUP and won’t participate in the inquiry.

Michael DeCesare, a senior program officer for AAUP and a professor 
of sociology at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, said affected 
faculty at ESU aren’t convinced the university faced financial distress 
warranting the suspension of tenure.

The investigating committee, he said, will look at “the absence of any specific rationale in any of the termination notices.”

“From what we’ve seen so far, it appears there is no rhyme or reason 
for how these faculty members were selected,” DeCesare said.

ESU’s “framework for workforce management” identified numerous 
reasons for why employees could be dismissed, including low enrollment, 
cost of operations, current or future market considerations, realignment
 of resources, performance evaluations, teaching and research 
productivity, low service productivity, and employee conduct.

Faculty members were called to a mandatory meeting at an off-campus 
building, where they learned they were being dismissed. They weren’t 
given a specific reason.

Gwen Larson, a spokeswoman for the university, said “personnel 
decisions were based on the outcome of a comprehensive programmatic 
review.”

“Emporia State University does not agree with the allegations made by
 AAUP,” Larson said. “We respect AAUP’s wish to investigate, but firmly 
believe the facts will support that actions taken are in alignment with 
applicable university policy and the governing policy of the Kansas 
Board of Regents. ESU is committed to moving forward with strategic 
reinvestments that deliver elevated, best-in-class programs to today’s 
students and will ultimately benefit Kansas families and the Kansas 
workforce.”

After eliminating programs that include English, journalism, history and <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/18/emporia-state-cuts-have-ended-prestigious-debate-program-everyone-in-kansas-will-pay-the-price/">debate</a>,
 the university has made a series of announcements about plans to 
increase investments in nursing, computer science, music and art. The 
new investments include 12 full-time staff members, including four 
tenure-track professors.

Larson said the new investments are part of a long-term strategy for expansion, based in part on “Kansas workforce needs.”

DeCesare said the new investments “seem to suggest that the 
university is certainly not in a demonstrably bonafide financial 
exigency condition, as our standards call for.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666377776639.png" alt="A statue of Corky, the Emporia State University mascot, is shown Sept. 9, 2022, at the university campus. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>A statue of Corky, the Emporia State University mascot, is shown Sept. 9, 2022, at the university campus. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/20/national-faculty-group-to-investigate-layoffs-finances-and-academic-freedom-at-emporia-state/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The American Association of University Professors says it will investigate the <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/22/emporia-state-university-faculty-leaders-wait-for-answers-after-rapid-firing-of-tenured-professors/">dismissal of tenured faculty members</a> at Emporia State University, a move that could result in adding the university to a list of censured institutions.The university in September took emergency action to eliminate the 
jobs of 33 faculty members, most of whom were tenured professors, and 
eliminated several programs as part of a strategic realignment. The 
Kansas Board of Regents endorsed the moves.The AAUP investigation will examine whether the university’s 
financial condition was dire enough to justify the suspension of tenure,
 the faculty’s role in university plans, which programs were 
discontinued and general conditions for academic freedom.A spokeswoman for ESU said the administration disagrees with allegations made by AAUP and won’t participate in the inquiry.Michael DeCesare, a senior program officer for AAUP and a professor 
of sociology at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, said affected 
faculty at ESU aren’t convinced the university faced financial distress 
warranting the suspension of tenure.The investigating committee, he said, will look at “the absence of any specific rationale in any of the termination notices.”“From what we’ve seen so far, it appears there is no rhyme or reason 
for how these faculty members were selected,” DeCesare said.ESU’s “framework for workforce management” identified numerous 
reasons for why employees could be dismissed, including low enrollment, 
cost of operations, current or future market considerations, realignment
 of resources, performance evaluations, teaching and research 
productivity, low service productivity, and employee conduct.Faculty members were called to a mandatory meeting at an off-campus 
building, where they learned they were being dismissed. They weren’t 
given a specific reason.Gwen Larson, a spokeswoman for the university, said “personnel 
decisions were based on the outcome of a comprehensive programmatic 
review.”“Emporia State University does not agree with the allegations made by
 AAUP,” Larson said. “We respect AAUP’s wish to investigate, but firmly 
believe the facts will support that actions taken are in alignment with 
applicable university policy and the governing policy of the Kansas 
Board of Regents. ESU is committed to moving forward with strategic 
reinvestments that deliver elevated, best-in-class programs to today’s 
students and will ultimately benefit Kansas families and the Kansas 
workforce.”After eliminating programs that include English, journalism, history and <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/18/emporia-state-cuts-have-ended-prestigious-debate-program-everyone-in-kansas-will-pay-the-price/">debate</a>,
 the university has made a series of announcements about plans to 
increase investments in nursing, computer science, music and art. The 
new investments include 12 full-time staff members, including four 
tenure-track professors.Larson said the new investments are part of a long-term strategy for expansion, based in part on “Kansas workforce needs.”DeCesare said the new investments “seem to suggest that the 
university is certainly not in a demonstrably bonafide financial 
exigency condition, as our standards call for.”AAUP <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/30/aaup-asserts-faculty-dismissals-at-emporia-state-a-grave-threat-to-academic-freedom-tenure/">sent a letter to ESU</a>
 in late September asking the administration to rescind faculty layoffs.
 The letter said the actions have “grave implications” for tenure and 
academic freedom at the university.The AAUP’s decision to launch an investigation into Emporia State, 
DeCesare said, “speaks to the severity and gravity of what seems to have
 happened there.”“It also speaks to what appear to be inadequate conditions for academic freedom and tenure at the university,” DeCesare said.He said tenure is “not kind of a gold star for being an excellent 
scholar or a great teacher.” Instead, he said, it’s a means to achieve 
academic freedom. If tenure can be taken away, he said, academic freedom
 doesn’t exist.The AAUP investigation will involve two or three faculty members from
 institutions across the country who have no connection to ESU or the 
affected faculty. They will attempt to conduct interviews with 
administrators, including the ESU president and Board of Regents 
chairman, as well as faculty senate members.Larson said the university administration won’t participate in the 
investigation because it is currently involved in the appeals process 
for dismissed faculty members. She said the university won’t retaliate 
against any faculty members who participate in the investigation.DeCesare said the association relies on “mural suasion to try to get 
administrations to do the right thing — namely, adhere to our 
standards.” But that doesn’t always work.The AAUP has placed 57 institutions on its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aaup.org/our-programs/academic-freedom/censure-list">censured list</a>
 since 1969, including 14 in the past 10 years. Placement on the list 
could hurt ESU’s ability to hire talented professors or recruit 
students.“It’s kind of a black eye for the institution, more than anything else, to be on this list,” DeCesare said.