Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Fake Studies

What to Know: An elaborate hoax has shown how easy it is to get fake academic studies published—and taken seriously. One study, for example, claimed dog parks are “a place of rampant canine rape culture and systemic oppression against the oppressed dog.”

The TPPF Take: The hoax was intentional—to show that academia has abandoned rigor for political correctness.

“As the authors of the stunt note, ‘something has gone wrong in the university,” says TPPF’s Tom Lindsay. “What they did to expose the ideological corruption in grievance-studies was spectacularly successful, for which they received what all doers of good deeds receive in today’s universities—punishment from their respective universities.”

Protecting Families

What to Know: Mistaken accusations of child abuse—often made by physicians who don’t know a family or have seen the child—result in tragic separations and lasting damage; Texas is now looking for better ways to protect families.

The TPPF Take: Real harm is done to children who are taken from their parents.

“We must always bear in mind the damage that involvement with the CPS system does to a family,” says TPPF’s Andrew Brown. “It’s important to have checks and balances in place to prevent knee-jerk removals of children. A misdiagnosis of abuse can have devastating consequences.”

Paid Sick Leave

What to Know: The fate of San Antonio’s mandatory paid sick leave ordinance will be decided in court, as the Texas Public Policy Foundation and other groups challenge such ordinances.

The TPPF Take: Mandatory paid sick leave ordinances are clearly unconstitutional.

“San Antonio can tweak its ordinance all it wants, but that doesn’t change the basic facts here,” says TPPF’s Rob Henneke. “Because mandatory paid sick leave requires a higher level of compensation than the Texas minimum wage, these ordinances run afoul of the Texas Minimum Wage Act. San Antonio’s ordinance will eventually be defeated in court.”