The Republican Party of Wisconsin filed an open records request to obtain UW-Madison history professor William Cronon's e-mails, sparking a debate over academic freedom.
Cronon, whose column criticizing Gov. Scott Walker was featured in The New York Times March 21, wrote on his blog about the American Legislative Exchange Council, a national conservative group that provides model legislation for lawmakers to introduce in their states.
In response to the blog post, the RPW requested copies of all e-mails going into and out of Cronon's WiscMail account referencing specific topics such as ""Scott Walker,"" ""Scott Fitzgerald"" and ""collective bargaining.""
Cronon said on his blog he supports Wisconsin's open records law, which allows anyone to request copies of correspondence between state officials such as UW professors, but he said that the request was an abuse of it.
""When such tools are turned toward purely partisan ends, and when they are used with the express purpose of intimidating or punishing those with whom powerful people disagree, then precious institutions of democracy are deployed to subvert the very liberties we all cherish,"" Cronon wrote.
The RPW issued a statement saying it is within its rights to file the request, however, and do ""not have to give a reason for doing so."" The party also said it is the one being intimidated in the situation.
""It is chilling to see that so many members of the media would take up the cause of a professor who seeks to quash a lawful open records request,"" RPW Executive Director Mark Jefferson said in a statement. ""Taxpayers have a right to accountable government and a right to know if public officials are conducting themselves in an ethical manner.""
Chancellor Biddy Martin said in a statement the university will comply with the request, but stressed the importance of freedom of ideas in an academic setting.
""Individual faculty, staff and students inevitably consider and advocate positions that will be at odds with one another's views and the views of people outside of the university,"" Martin said. ""It is the university's responsibility both to comply with state law and to protect our community's right to explore freely and freely express their points of view.""
