A trio of state senators are calling on SUNY to analyze its $2.7 million contract with a powerhouse publishing firm accused of acquiescing to the Chinese language authorities by censoring articles.
Springer Nature, the dominant writer of educational journals which has a five-year contract with the State College of New York system, allegedly blocked entry to 1000’s of articles in 2017 “in China that discussed politically sensitive topics such as Taiwan, Tibet, and human rights,” Sens. John Liu (D-Queens), Toby Stavisky (D-Queens) and Iwen Chu (D-Brooklyn) wrote in an Oct. 23 letter to SUNY Chancellor John King, which was obtained by The Publish.
Studies in 2020 then revealed Springer Nature “pressured Taiwanese authors to list ‘China’ after ‘Taiwan’ in their articles, with some submissions being rejected if authors refused.”
“These actions reflect a troubling willingness to prioritize business interests over academic integrity, which conflicts with SUNY’s commitment to global scholarly collaboration and the free exchange of ideas,” the lawmakers mentioned.
However SUNY defended the deal in a Nov. 7 response.
The “systemwide” take care of Springer Nature — which oversees 2,700 journals and generates $2 billion in annual revenues — helps lower your expenses as a substitute of getting a few of its 64 particular person faculties negotiate with the journal publishing large, based on Will Schwartz, SUNY’s vice chancellor for presidency relations.
“This contract does not dissuade competition from other publishers, nor does it require our campuses to enter into the agreement,” Schwartz added.
The no-bid association with Springer Nature was permitted by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s workplace, Schwarz famous. SUNY OK’d the contract in 2022, and it may be reviewed yearly.
Liu blasted Schwartz’s dismissive response as “embarrassing.”
“SUNY is supposed to be a bastion of academic freedom,” Liu mentioned. “SUNY must do better.”
Springer Nature was slapped with an antitrust lawsuit in September that accused the corporate of monopolizing essential tutorial analysis entry and exploiting unpaid tutorial labor via the peer evaluate course of.
The lawsuit alleges that Springer Nature and different main tutorial publishers have colluded to suppress competitors — squeezing out smaller publishers whereas elevating prices for establishments like SUNY.
“The concentration of academic content under Springer Nature’s control, combined with its troubling history of censorship and monopolistic behavior, presents significant risks to SUNY’s reputation and mission. It is imperative that SUNY reassess its contract with Springer Nature in light of these concerns,” the lawmakers mentioned.
