Friday, October 30, 2015

Does PRIM&R Welcome History Exclusion?

In its response to the 2011 ANPRM, PRIM&R denied that an exclusion for “certain fields of study” was “even worth considering.”


Now, in comments on the NPRM, PRIM&R Executive Director Elisa Hurley writes, “some of the exclusions proposed in the NPRM will likely be widely welcomed, such as the explicit exclusion of journalism, oral history, biography, and historical scholarship activities.”


As Ellen Bresler Rockmore reminds us, passive constructions (“will … be widely welcomed”) can disguise meaning, and that is the case here; is Hurley among those who will welcome the change?


I hope so. But in any case, PRIM&R seems to be finally acknowledging the grievances of historians and journalists and the need for reform.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Virginia Universities Take on Virginia Human Subjects Law

Virignia universities, including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Commonwealth University, want to reform Virginia’s human subjects laws, which in theory impose IRB requirements on all research in the state, even constitutionally protected speech like surveys conducted by news organizations and political polling firms.


[Derek Quizon, “New UVa Rector Discourages Post-Vote Dissent, Use of Email,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 17, 2015.]