He obliges: it is “sinister and deplorable.” “What defines a university,” intones Shlaim, “is complete freedom of expression, and the people behind Campus Watch are responsible for a direct assault on this basic and fundamental academic right.” I answer: complete press freedom is a basic and fundamental right. Is criticism of the New York Times (say, for its WMD coverage) a sinister, deplorable, and direct assault on press freedom? Campus Watch has operated entirely within the range of fair criticism. Reading Commissar Shlaim, it occurs to me that maybe the UK needs one too.
