SUNY is pushing to review its contract with a publisher accused of censorship

A trio of state senators are calling on SUNY to investigate its $2.7 million contract with a major publishing company that has been accused of acquiescing to the Chinese government by censoring articles.

Springer Nature, the leading publisher of scientific journals that has a five-year contract with the State University of New York, reportedly blocked access in 2017 to thousands of articles “in China that covered politically sensitive topics such as Taiwan, Tibet and humanity . “Rights,” Sens. John Liu (D-Queens), Toby Stavisky (D-Queens) and Iwen Chu (D-Brooklyn) wrote in an Oct. 23 letter to SUNY Chancellor John King obtained by The Post.

Reports in 2020 then revealed that Springer Nature “pressured Taiwanese authors to list 'China' after 'Taiwan' in their articles, with some submissions rejected if the authors refused.”

“These actions reflect a troubling willingness to prioritize business interests over academic integrity, which is at odds with SUNY’s commitment to global scholarly collaboration and the free exchange of ideas,” the lawmakers said.

But SUNY defended the deal in a Nov. 7 response.

The “systemwide” deal with Springer Nature — which oversees 2,700 journals and generates $2 billion in annual revenue — helps save money rather than requiring some of its 64 individual colleges to negotiate with the journal publishing giant, according to Will Schwartz, vice chancellor the SUNY for government relations.

“This agreement does not deter competition from other publishers or require our campuses to join the agreement,” Schwartz added.

The no-bid agreement with Springer Nature was approved by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office, Schwarz noted. SUNY approved the contract in 2022 and is subject to annual review.

Liu called Schwartz's dismissive reaction “embarrassing.”

“SUNY should be a bastion of academic freedom,” Liu said. “SUNY needs to do better.”

Springer Nature was hit with an antitrust lawsuit in September accusing the company of monopolizing access to important academic research and exploiting unpaid academic work through the peer review process.

The lawsuit alleges that Springer Nature and other major academic publishers colluded to stifle competition – pushing out smaller publishers while increasing costs for institutions like SUNY.

“The concentration of academic content under Springer Nature's control, combined with the troubling history of censorship and monopolistic behavior, poses significant risks to SUNY's reputation and mission. “It is imperative that SUNY terminate its contract with Springer Nature in the “Reevaluated in light of these concerns,” the lawmakers said.