Researchers across disciplines are facing unprecedented levels of intimidation and harassment from external actors who aim to discredit, delay, or end their work altogether. This abuse has dire consequences for researchers, their institutions, and society as whole–reflected notably in declining levels of trust in the scientific community and higher education.

A growing number of organizations, including IDDP, have recognized the seriousness of this problem and have made pledges to support researchers facing intimidation and harassment. Their statements of commitment are below.

Those looking for resources and guidance regarding how to better support researchers facing targeted intimidation and harassment are encouraged to visit the Researcher Support Consortium’s website: https://researchersupport.org/. 

IDDP’s Pledge

“The Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics at George Washington University is deeply concerned about the growing number and intensity of intimidation and harassment campaigns aimed at silencing researchers and undermining their important public-interest work. We are committed to supporting our colleagues--no matter their discipline, their professional level or status--and we pledge to stand up for these researchers and their rights. We will adopt policies and practices within IDDP that prioritize researcher safety, offering access to funding, tools, and support systems that help to reduce the likelihood, and mitigate the potential harms, of intimidation and harassment. We also pledge to raise awareness of this problem among funders, professional associations, and university administrators. We recognize that the intimidation and harassment of researchers is an occupational hazard, and we will advocate for the institutions that employ, represent, and fund us to take greater responsibility for addressing the risks that researchers face as a part of their important work.”

Allied Organizations 

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE):

"The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) pledges to defend the academic freedom and expressive rights of researchers nationwide. FIRE will engage in legal, public, and legislative advocacy to protect the right to engage in scholarship and teaching free from institutional retaliation and censorship. To answer continuing threats to freedom of inquiry, FIRE will mount communications campaigns and issue public statements, advocate for changes in both institutional and governmental policy, and pursue free legal representation for impacted researchers from both FIRE attorneys and private counsel via our Faculty Legal Defense Fund. Since 1999, FIRE has successfully vindicated the rights of scholars across the country. We remain ready to assist today.”

Union of Concerned Scientists:

“The Union of Concerned Scientists pledges to advocate for scientists and science to be protected from political interference, harassment and intimidation and for Scientific Integrity to become the law of the land."

Coalition for Independent Technology Research:

“The Coalition for Independent Technology Research pledges to continue supporting researchers by responding collectively to instances of acute threat or retribution, including by issuing public statements, organizing solidarity campaigns, and coordinating with other civil society organizations to amplify our voices in support of the researcher under attack.”

Forum on Information & Democracy:

“The Forum on Information and Democracy pledges to work with governments and international institutions to develop an effective and ambitious framework for safeguarding research integrity in the digital age, including by protecting and supporting researchers who face coordinated attacks.”

Freedom House:

“Freedom House pledges to raise awareness about how attacks on researchers seriously threaten the defense of human rights in the digital age, and advocate for actions to combat this threat.”

Center for Democracy & Technology:

"Center for Democracy & Technology pledges to continue its advocacy supporting independent researchers who study topics of critical importance to society and encouraging the tech policy community to stand unequivocally united in support of independent researchers and their ability to do their work securely."

Academic Organizations, Centers, and Programs

Center for an Informed Public:

“The University of Washington Center for Informed Public (CIP) recognizes that researchers addressing some of society’s most difficult problems face new and growing challenges, including harassment, intimidation, lawsuits, and other strategic actions designed to undermine their work. We are deeply committed to supporting our CIP community and colleagues across institutions, disciplines, and status, particularly junior researchers. We pledge to continue to stand up for researchers and their rights. At the CIP, we will continue to develop and adopt practices and policies that prioritize researchers’ safety and wellbeing, including offering access to funding, tools, and support systems that prepare and train scholars, reduce the likelihood of harassment, and mitigate impact to individuals and our community. The CIP, in partnership with our university, has committed institutional resources to supporting its researchers, including on-staff mental health counseling for students, media training, and expert consultation when needed. We pledge to continue to raise awareness of this pressing problem among funders, professional associations, and university leadership, and to advocate for institutions to take greater responsibility for addressing the occupational hazards and risks that researchers face as part of their daily work in these domains.”

Knight First Amendment Institute:

“The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University will continue providing support and guidance to researchers who study technology's impact on society. This includes providing advice to researchers who receive subpoenas or similar demands for records or testimony relating to their research, and referring researchers, when necessary, to private counsel who can provide more sustained or specialized support.”

Citizens and Technology Lab:

“The Citizens and Technology Lab at Cornell University is deeply concerned by the intimidation and harassment of researchers, both inside and outside academia. At CAT Lab, we envision a world where digital power is guided by evidence and accountable to the public by working with communities to study the impacts of technology on society. This world will not be possible without the intellectual freedom of both academics and the communities with whom we collaborate. Without freedom from oppression, we can’t be free to express ourselves or associate with others. The last 10 years of our research has shown the oppressive effects of harassment. Our work with communities has identified and tested ways to mitigate these effects and enable intellectual freedom.

We commit to continuing to grow research on effective ways to prevent harassment, support the people who experience it, and support those who help the targets of harassment. We will also continue to work alongside affected communities to build evidence-based solutions that make people safer and more resilient to intimidation. At our Lab and university, we will continue to maintain policies and practices that prioritize researcher safety, seek to mitigate the harms of intimidation, and work to uplift the spirits of people who face these risks. We also commit to contributing to capacity-building and best practices across the communities we’re part of. We are encouraged to see so many other organizations stand together for fundamental freedoms and are committed to raising awareness of this ongoing and evolving issue.”

Cline Center for Advanced Social Research: 

“As a nonpartisan and nonadvocacy research center with a mission of transforming information into knowledge that advances human flourishing, the Cline Center for Advanced Social Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign stands with researchers around the world whose scholarship aims to improve our factual understanding of sensitive or controversial topics associated with political conflict. While it is appropriate to subject research to reasonable and respectful debate, we stand against any effort to censor research findings or to silence scholars through threats, harassment, or intimidation. We will support the free flow of unwelcomed facts so that people from all points on the political compass can come together across lines of difference to solve the pressing problems of our day.  We will support researchers whose work makes possible the advancement of this knowledge, especially when this important labor comes at deep personal cost. We will champion policies and practices that protect Cline Center researchers from these risks, and serve as a resource for our campus and for larger research communities on how best to support scholars whose work of transforming information into knowledge carries risk of harassment or intimidation.”

Communication Research Center:

“The Communication Research Center (CRC) at Boston University, established in 1959, has a long history of pioneering contributions to media effects and communication research. Dedicated to supporting scholars who explore communication-related issues, the CRC recognizes the vital public interest in studying media, communication processes, and information integrity. Over the years, researchers in this field have often faced intimidation and harassment aimed at undermining or silencing their work. The CRC views these threats as serious occupational hazards and is committed to: 1) raising awareness of these challenges, 2) creating robust policies and protocols to safeguard researchers, and 3) fostering an environment that empowers our fellows to continue their important work in addressing contemporary societal challenges.”

Center for Social Media and Politics:

"NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics condemns the recent attacks attempting to silence researchers and we stand with our colleagues who have been targeted by this effort. It’s important for the public to understand how online content moderation decisions are made, and research in this area is critical to furthering that understanding. Transparency and data access enables academics to conduct vital research examining the intersection of social media and democracy. That research informs the press, policymakers, and, ultimately, the public. But to do this work, we need an environment conducive to academic freedom and independence — not one under threat from outside forces. CSMaP pledges to strongly support our colleagues who have come under attack, to raise awareness among our networks and the public about the dangers of these campaigns, and to continue to prioritize researcher safety and support within our community."

George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences:

“In the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, we value academic freedom and will use all the mechanisms available to us to protect any members of our community targeted for their research.”

School of Media and Public Affairs: 

“The School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University are deeply concerned about the growing number and intensity of harassment campaigns of researchers. These campaigns try to silence researchers and undermine their important public-interest work. These campaigns put research, researchers, and ultimately the public who rely on this research at risk. We are committed to supporting our colleagues, regardless of their discipline, their professional level, or their status. We pledge to stand up for these researchers and their rights. We will continue to prioritize researcher safety, including offering access to funding, tools, and support systems that help to reduce the likelihood, and mitigate the potential harms, of intimidation and harassment. We also pledge to raise awareness of this problem among funders, professional associations, the media, policymakers and university administrators. Unfortunately harassment of researchers has become an occupational hazard for too many. We will advocate for the institutions that employ, represent, and fund this research take greater responsibility for addressing the risks that researchers face as a part of their important work.”

The Center for Information, Technology & Public Life:

“The Center for Information, Technology & Public Life joins the Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics at George Washington University in expressing its deep concern about the growing number and intensity of intimidation and harassment campaigns aimed at silencing researchers and undermining their important public-interest work. We are also committed to supporting our colleagues--no matter their discipline, their professional level, or their status--and we pledge to stand up for these researchers and their rights. We will continue to adopt policies and practices within CITAP that prioritize researcher safety, offering access to funding, tools, and support systems that help to reduce the likelihood, and mitigate the potential harms, of intimidation and harassment. We also pledge to raise awareness of this problem among funders, professional associations, and university administrators. We recognize that the intimidation and harassment of researchers is an occupational hazard, and we will advocate for the institutions that employ, represent, and fund us to take greater responsibility for addressing the risks that researchers face as a part of their important work.”

Center for Media Engagement:

“The Center for Media Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin joins IDDP and other academic centers and institutes in raising awareness about the growing intimidation and harassment directed at academic researchers. Our center strongly believes in producing research that works to understand and improve the information ecosystem for the benefit of democracy. To do this, our researchers must be able to work without fear of threats and intimidation. We share a commitment to prioritizing working environments where academic researchers are able to pursue their research agendas safely.”

Center for Political Communication:

“The Center for Political Communication at the University of Delaware is deeply concerned about the growing number and intensity of intimidation and harassment campaigns aimed at silencing researchers and undermining their important public-interest work. We are committed to supporting our colleagues--no matter their discipline, their professional level or status--and we pledge to stand up for these researchers and their rights. We will adopt policies and practices within IDDP that prioritize researcher safety, offering advocacy, tools, and support systems that help to reduce the likelihood, and mitigate the potential harms, of intimidation and harassment. We also pledge to raise awareness of this problem among funders, professional associations, and university administrators. We recognize that the intimidation and harassment of researchers is an occupational hazard, and we will advocate for the institutions that employ, represent, and fund us to take greater responsibility for addressing the risks that researchers face as a part of their important work.”

Observatory on Social Media:

“The Observatory on Social Media is deeply concerned about the growing number and intensity of intimidation and harassment campaigns aimed at silencing researchers and undermining their important public-interest work. We are committed to supporting our colleagues — no matter their discipline, professional level, or status — and we pledge to stand up for these researchers and their rights. We pledge to raise awareness of this problem among funders, professional associations, and university administrators. We will advocate for the institutions that employ, represent, and fund us to take greater responsibility for addressing the risks that researchers face as a part of their important work. Link to statement on OSoME's website: https://osome.iu.edu/about/network.”

Principal Investigators of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal:

“Mike Wagner and Dhavan Shah, co-Principal Investigators of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal at the University of Wisconsin, express their solidarity with the growing number of researchers facing intimidation, harassment and threats of violence aimed to chill scholarship that shares evidence-based, methodologically rigorous work that helps the public make sense of politics and civic life while also helping to inform public policy decisions. We support the researchers being unfairly attacked and pledge to work to lift up scholars who seek to share verifiably accurate evidence about important matters with the public. We stand with them and by our own university’s mission “to ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”