When I was in university, academics of every discipline made it clear to me: controversial research does not get published. Donors have huge sway over the unive

When I was in university, academics of every discipline made it clear to me: controversial research does not get published. Donors have huge sway over the university, and if the university fears controversial research will chill donors they will intervene. This is on top of other mechanisms like foreign censors (one academic had a colleague who's book was banned in much of South Asia), and good o'l fashioned twitter mobs. Tenure, despite it's elitism and problems of fostering a gerontocracy, is one of the few mechanisms that helps people explore controversial topics. But even then, finding can be cut and labs shut down even if the tenured professor is not fired.