In April of last year, The Australian published an editorial critiquing the begrudgingly accepted practice at certain outlets allowing authors to publish under pseudonyms. This question of pseudonym allowance usually comes up when an author wishes to contribute a guest opinion piece on a subject of a particularly controversial nature, especially if the expression of said opinion could jeopardize his employment. But as the editorial titled "Stand against the thought police" put it, "The idea of allowing academic authors to publish anonymous articles so they can speak freely is a slippery slope towards institutionalizing conformity. Great thinkers throughout history have suffered public and professional ridicule and torment, sometimes as a prelude to acknowledged wisdom."
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