Purdue statement on Barton Gellman keynote speech
October 8, 2015
BACKGROUND: At the invitation of organizers of Purdue’s Dawn or Doom conference, more than two-dozen experts visited campus last month to speak about the future of technology. The university intentionally sought a lineup of presenters with diverse viewpoints, including Barton Gellman, who as a keynote speaker presented freely and without interference and was paid an honorarium for his talk, which was open to the public and the press.
Statement from Dr. Gerry McCartney, Purdue Chief Information Office and organizer, Dawn or Doom conference
"Purdue has been recognized as a national leader in its commitment to freedom of expression and free and open inquiry and debate. We reject entirely the notion that complying with clear federal law is in any way an abridgment of those principles. We have already acknowledged that perhaps a better way to comply would have been to block only the classified information in question. And if we can correct that situation, we will. But a speaker's decision to exercise civil disobedience does not obligate Purdue to join him in that act."
