While NBC’s Today stayed on the sidelines and ABC’s Good Morning America only had a news brief, Tuesday’s CBS Mornings was eager to trumpet Harvard University’s diversity tool and President Claudine Gay being told by the school’s poobahs that she could keep her job despite showing support for anti-Semitism on her campus so long as it didn’t evolve into an on-site genocide.
“It appears Harvard University’s president will not be forced to resign. Claudine Gay has been under fire since last week’s controversial testimony...on campus hate speech and anti-Semitism,” co-host Nate Burleson began. “Gay still has strong support from the Harvard faculty members.”
Congressional correspondent Nikole Killion cited the news first leaked out courtesy of the student newspaper The Harvard Crimson before boasting she survived “calls for her resignation over...testimony last week on Capitol Hill” in which she suggested it’s an open question whether speech advocating for a genocide of Jews violates Harvard’s code of conduct.
“Alumni and staff rallied to Gay’s defense Monday. To date, more than 700 faculty members signed a letter urging Harvard’s governing boards ‘to resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom,’” she added, doing nothing to address the fact that this Ivy League institution suddenly cares about speech after years of attacking conservatives and other contrary voices (which is perhaps best documented by the great team at Campus Reform).
Killion then played sound from “history professor Alison Frank-Johnson,” who “co-authored the letter” in support of Gay: “We need to make decisions on leadership based on a sober view of what a person has done and what they have the potential to do and not a moment of panic.”
Cry me a river.
Before touching on the status of the other two university bosses who appeared at the now-infamous hearing (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Pennsylvania), Killion fretted that while “Gay has apologized for her testimony...that has done little to slow down the calls for resignation from Washington lawmakers to wealthy donors, including Harvard alumnus and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman”.
As mentioned, ABC had short, 13-second brief. Co-host and George Stephanopoulos made the announcement in the second half-hour:
And amid anti-Semitism allegations on college campuses and the testimony — criticized testimony by college presidents on Capitol Hill, Harvard president Claudine Gay apparently will remain in office with the support of the Harvard corporation. That’s according to The Harvard Crimson.
To see the relevant transcripts from December 12, click “expand.”
ABC’s Good Morning America [via Houston’s KTRK]
December 12, 2023
8:31 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Right Now; Harvard President to Remain in Office]
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And amid anti-Semitism allegations on college campuses and the testimony — criticized testimony by college presidents on Capitol Hill, Harvard president Claudine Gay apparently will remain in office with the support of the Harvard corporation. That’s according to The Harvard Crimson.
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CBS Mornings [via condensed, one-hour version on CBS News Streaming Network]
December 12, 2023
8:08 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Harvard President to Remain in Office; RPT: Caludine [sic] Gay Will Not Leave Job After Controversial Testimony]
NATE BURLESON: We have breaking news this morning. It appears Harvard University’s president will not be forced to resign. Claudine Gay has been under fire since last week’s controversial testimony at a congressional hearing on campus hate speech and anti-Semitism. As Nikole Killion reports, Gay still has strong support from the Harvard faculty members.
NIKOLE KILLION: Harvard University President Claudine Gay will remain at the helm of the Harvard University, according to The Harvard Crimson, the campus newspaper. Her continued tenure getting the support of the school’s governing body on Monday night. The decision comes after calls for her resignation over this testimony last week on Capitol Hill.
CONGRESSWOMAN ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY): Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment? Yes or no?
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT CLAUDINE GAY: It can be, depending on the context.
KILLION: Alumni and staff rallied to Gay’s defense Monday. To date, more than 700 faculty members signed a letter urging Harvard’s governing boards “to resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom.” History professor Alison Frank-Johnson co-authored the letter.
ALISON FRANK JOHNSON: We need to make decisions on leadership based on a sober view of what a person has done and what they have the potential to do and not a moment of panic.
KILLION: Gay has apologized for her testimony, but that has done little to slow down the calls for resignation from Washington lawmakers to wealthy donors, including Harvard alumnus and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who said all the university presidents that testified last week should resign in disgrace. Saturday, Penn President Liz Magill resigned while MIT President Sally Kornbluth has received strong backing by the university.
TONY DOKOUPIL: Nikole Killion, thank you very much, appreciate it.
