Without knowing anything else about this story besides what's written in this piece, I have to disagree with Friedersdorf here. It sounds like the guy was fired for libel, libel that led to a young woman being potentially placed in peril. This doesn't sound like it's about free academic inquiry. One may not be able to be factual "at all times," as we all make mistakes, but we can at least attempt to be accurate and to fact check that which seems unlikely to be true (i.e. act in good faith). Plus the followup that it's prejudiced to be against prejudiced people, because having a prejudiced outlook is one opinion among many, is so old and tired that I can't believe someone of Friedersdorf's stature is repeating it. But really, that's beside the point here. The subject matter isn't important. What's important is that in the university's view, the professor acted libelously and recklessly, and potentially made the university responsible for the woman's safety.