ISU cancels speech by conservative journalist, citing security threats

Indiana State University canceled a speech by conservative writer and editor Rich Lowry, creating a controversy that prompted former Vice President Mike Pence to weigh in. 

The Sept. 30 event was canceled because of “campus and community safety concerns,” ISU said in a statement last week. The cancellation followed Lowry’s appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show. Lowry was accused of using a racia l slur to refer to Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. The clip went viral. Lowry said he stumbled on his words and mispronounced “migrants.” Many listeners thought he said the N-word. 

ISU officials did not respond to requests for comment on why it had concerns about safety and whether the university received any threats. 

Pence wrote on social media, “Come on @indianastate. You’re better than this.  @RichLowry  is a good and decent man who is being smeared and canceled for something he verifiably never said. Reinstate his invitation. Do it now.” 

ISU said its Speaker Series has a “proud tradition” of featuring people from diverse backgrounds and political perspectives.  

“It is important to stress that this cancellation is not intended to limit our neutrality on different political viewpoints,” ISU’s statement said. “Indiana State University remains firmly committed to fostering intellectual diversity and encouraging the respectful exchange of ideas from multiple perspectives.” 

Lowry is editor-in-chief of the National Review. In a piece for the magazine, Lowry called the accusations “ridiculously false.” He said ISU and other university officials use safety concerns to “dispense with speakers they find inconvenient.” He disputed ISU’s claim that the cancellation wasn’t politically motivated.

“Taking the side of a woke online fringe and giving it what it wants on the basis of an almost certainly nonexistent security threat doesn’t speak to political neutrality,” Lowry wrote.  

Lowry was also uninvited from an event with policy research firm The Badger Institute. He said he expects more cancellations in the future. 

  Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at  aubmwrig@iu.edu  or follow her on X  @aubreymwright .