In May 2025, Gov. Kevin Stitt approved Senate Bill 796, which prohibits institutions within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education from using state funds, property, or resources to support certain DEI positions, departments, activities, procedures, and programs. The law also requires institutions to review their programs for compliance.

Against that backdrop, Accuracy in Media sent an undercover journalist to the University of Central Oklahoma to find out what had actually changed on campus.

According to AIM’s undercover footage, the answer from one university employee was striking.

Shatima Bennett is listed by the University of Central Oklahoma as a Coordinator of Student Engagement within Enrollment and Student Success. University records also identify her in advisory or financial roles with several student organizations.

Speaking with an AIM undercover journalist posing as a former DEI official from another state, Bennett was asked about the status of DEI work in Oklahoma.

“We need to meet. It’s a lot,” Bennett said in the footage provided by AIM. “Welcome to Oklahoma. We are not blue.”

Then she made an even more direct statement:

“Technically my whole job is illegal if you want to be honest.”

When AIM President Adam Guillette later approached Bennett openly, according to AIM’s footage, she disputed that characterization.

“My job is not illegal,” she said before leaving the room.

According to the footage, Bennett described how student-led organizations could continue activities that university employees themselves might face restrictions on organizing.

“It hasn’t stopped because there are ways that the students are able to honor it,” Bennett said. “There are student-led organizations. That’s kind of how it’s made legal.”

She offered an example involving a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People protest.

Bennett said that because she was a state-paid staff member, she could not personally organize the protest. Instead, she said, students planned it while she advised them about logistics, helped them determine the route, made sure they understood applicable rules, and walked alongside them during the event.

That distinction is significant because SB 796 includes protections for student organizations, and UCO itself says it has more than 200 recognized student organizations through which students organize activities and events.

But Bennett’s description of her role went further.

According to AIM’s footage, she told the undercover journalist that the new restrictions had made the work more difficult rather than stopping it.

“It just made our jobs a little harder,” Bennett said. “I kind of go through loopholes for certain stuff, but it’s still happening.”

She also said:

“Nothing I’ve attempted to do has been like completely shut down. May have been halted for a second until questions were answered … but no, we’re still fully functioning.”

When the undercover journalist asked whether staff could continue this work as long as they were not officially leading it, Bennett replied:

“You just have to get creative with it. It’s a lot of creativity.”

When Guillette confronted Bennett with statements from the undercover recordings, according to AIM, Bennett did not provide a substantive on-camera explanation of what she meant by “loopholes” or “creativity.”

Another university staff member subsequently agreed to speak with Guillette only if the conversation was not recorded, AIM said.

SB 796 requires Oklahoma public higher-education institutions to review their DEI-related positions, programs and activities for compliance. Beginning July 1, 2026, institutions are also required to submit annual certifications of compliance.

Accuracy in Media is asking taxpayers to visit SaveOklahomaStudents.com where you can send one message to the leadership at University of Central Oklahoma, and all relevant elected officials. No taxpayer should be forced to fund illegal DEI programs including staff members.

The post UCO Employee Caught on Hidden Camera: “Technically My Whole Job Is Illegal” appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

But Accuracy in Media is uncovering the truth. This ideology is alive and well, with only a slight makeover. 

Missouri State University Senior Academic Adviser Kristen R. Thomas recently told AIM’s undercover journalist, “This used to be called multicultural education and diversity, because of all the DEI conversations and politics at state levels and things like that, they changed the wording to inclusivity.”

On AIM’s hidden camera, staff reiterated this change was done so as not to draw suspicion. 

“We haven’t removed that diversity language. I don’t think there is pressure on that one either,” Fellow Senior Academic Adviser John A. Hall said about a core criminology course at the school. “We haven’t changed it. We haven’t had to change the title or anything like that.”

The brazen defiance of these administrators comes after Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order banning DEI in state agencies last year. 

“Missourians deserve a government that treats all individuals equally, without preferential treatment or discrimination based on immutable characteristics,” he said at the time. “Our state agencies must operate under a framework that ensures fairness, equal opportunity, and merit-based decision-making. This order reaffirms Missouri’s commitment to a constitutional, color-blind approach that serves all citizens fairly.”

Clearly, this isn’t enough to stop universities hellbent on promoting DEI. 

States like Missouri must strengthen their laws against DEI in public institutions and make sure students are getting the education they deserve. 

After multiple similar AIM investigations in North Carolina and Kansas, both states passed laws to strengthen their own DEI bans. 

It’s time for Missouri to do the same. 

Visit SaveMissouriStudents.com now to send one convenient message to all relevant officials. Don’t let woke administrators get away with pushing radical DEI on students.

The post ‘Inclusivity’ replaces ‘Diversity’ as Missouri State tries to obscure DEI appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

By The National News Desk | Wed, September 23, 2026 at 2:46 PM

The head of an education watchdog organization is urging parents to look beyond their children’s official school curriculum and ask more questions about what is happening inside classrooms, arguing that policies presented to the public do not always reflect what educators are doing in practice.

Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette joined The National News Desk to discuss his organization’s undercover investigations of school districts and what he says parents can do to learn more about the instruction their children receive.

Accuracy in Media says it has conducted undercover investigations involving hundreds of school districts around the country, releasing videos that the organization says show some administrators discussing diversity, equity and inclusion policies and other politically contentious education issues.

“What we see in state after state, even in states where there are laws against it, is that administrators are pushing critical race theory and DEI into every facet of education,” Guillette said.

The undercover videos and Accuracy in Media’s interpretations of them have generated political debate over how schools implement state restrictions.

Read the rest of CBS 12’s article here.

The post AIM President Discusses DEI Investigations and Parental Rights on CBS 12 appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

But in cities across North Carolina, taxpayer dollars are also funding government DEI departments, programs, and training.

Sharon Williams is the Director of the Equity and Inclusion Department for the City of Durham, North Carolina. She spoke on camera with an undercover Accuracy in Media investigator about the department’s work.

Williams explained that her department is “internally facing” and does not work directly with the public.

“We work with the departments to get them ready to do that. They do that. We don’t do that. We work with them, so we talk with them about equity, make sure they understand equity and they embed it into what they do, but we’re internally facing.”

Our investigator pressed for clarification.

“So it’s just focused on the employees? It’s not doing any outreach in the community?”

Williams confirmed that the department works with city employees and departments to incorporate its equity policies into their work.

The investigator then asked whether the department provides anti-racism or implicit-bias training for government employees.

Williams responded:

“It’s just for government employees.”

This is what we continue to find across North Carolina: more DEI staffers, more DEI programs, and more taxpayer-funded DEI training inside local governments.

And there has been a pushback.

After Accuracy in Media visited North Carolina, the state House of Representatives passed legislation imposing strict limits on government DEI programs, including fines of up to $10,000 per violation. The Senate has yet to act.

If you want to push back against taxpayer-funded DEI in North Carolina cities, visit SaveCarolinaCities.com and take action.

The post Yet Another North Carolina City Spending on DEI appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

by Brynn Lintner | September 21, 2026

Sociology professor Wayne Brekhus is in trouble.

Why? Because Brekhus talked about research and academic practices at his university.

Last week, a video recorded by Accuracy in Media went viral on X. In it, Brekhus said the University of Missouri’s changes to DEI operations were “mostly cosmetic,” and campus members have “found clever ways to continue to have DEI centers but not call them that.” He added that restrictions on DEI activities had been “tough on research,” but had not affected curricula as severely. The video was recorded in January 2026, but only gained public attention when a prominent school-choice activist posted the video on his X account.

In response to the attention, Mizzou announced an investigation into Brekhus’ conduct and stated that “Mizzou voluntarily eliminated all DEI programs and DEI requirements in the curriculum” and “has complied with all federal directives to end DEI research projects.” The university also posted an apology from Brekhus, in which he said, “I am fully aware that Mizzou no longer has DEI programs and does not conduct DEI research.”

Read the rest of FIRE’s article here.

The post FIRE Discusses University Response to AIM’s Mizzou Footage appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

Sep 17, 2026 | 5:30 am ET | By James Orlick

What happens when politicians dislike what a professor teaches, an employee says, or a university prints?

Across 829 pages I obtained from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and thousands more from Kentucky universities, I found courses altered and words, missions, programs, and philanthropic initiatives erased or renamed because of perceived ties to diversity, equity, and inclusion under the GOP-sponsored law, 2025 HB4.

I found that State Sen. Gary Boswell sent the Attorney General’s Office photographs of a book assigned in a university course, along with other course information. Identifying himself as a senator, he said that he “wanted the professor fired or worse.”

Or worse.

An elected official invoked his position while contacting the state’s chief law enforcement office about a university classroom.

What did “or worse” mean? Without public records, who would know to ask?

The surveillance began before HB 4 became law. In June 2024, Rep. Jennifer Decker directed Kentucky universities to identify by name, title, office, and salary employees connected to “Diversity,” “Equity,” “Equality,” “Inclusion,” “Inclusive,” or “DEI.” She also requested lists of courses addressing power, privilege, subordination, oppression, colonialism, and socioeconomic status, according to my open records requests from universities. Records that, if an ordinary citizen were to request, would most likely be denied at some universities due to being unreasonably burdensome.

This massive inventory created a surveillance tool for tracking spending, people, courses, and ideas.

Raw footage I obtained from the Attorney General’s Office showed Accuracy in Media using deceptive undercover tactics to target university employees over DEI. An operative posed as a prospective student, secretly recorded an unsuspecting staff member, and transformed selected footage into an accusatory video.

Journalistic ethics generally reserve undercover tactics for exceptional circumstances when information vital to the public cannot reasonably be obtained through transparent reporting. What open methods did Accuracy in Media attempt?

Republican lawmakers shared the video and accused the University of Kentucky of violating HB 4, even though the law expressly exempts course content and instruction. Rep. Shane Baker confronted UK President Eli Capilouto about it during a hearing on the university’s budget request. Rep. Baker asked, “If a university is found to be in violation of that law, should that university continue to receive taxpayer funds?”

The Attorney General’s Office also said it was reviewing the matter.

The sequence is chilling: An employee is deceived and recorded. Lawmakers amplify selected footage, carry it into budget deliberations, and raise the prospect of withholding public funds before any violation is established.

It continued. In a Feb. 5, 2026 email I obtained, Rep. T.J. Roberts introduced Accuracy in Media to Rep. Jennifer Decker and the Attorney General’s Office, saying legislators were interested in its investigation. Rep. Decker called Accuracy in Media “advocates,” warning that overreach could undermine credibility when seeking enforcement against what she considered “true noncompliance,” and provided guidance on what she would welcome receiving in surveillance videos.

Were Rep. Decker’s inventories, or the names and courses collected through them, shared with Accuracy in Media or another outside organization? Were private activists serving as political watchdogs?

That is why the public needs lawmakers’ communications.

Read the rest of Kentucky Lantern’s article here.

The post AIM’s Kentucky University Investigations Featured in Kentucky Lantern Commentary appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

The release of a hidden camera video sparked the investigation

Hannah Halterman, News Editor | September 17, 2026

The University of Missouri is investigating a sociology professor after a video in which he claims that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices are still in effect at Mizzou surfaced online on Monday.

In the hidden-camera footage released by Accuracy in Media, Wayne Brekhus, professor and sociology department chair, said he conducts research related to identity and inequality and suggested that anti-racism material is present in Mizzou coursework.

Mizzou’s official X account responded to a repost of the video on Monday night that Brekhus “will be investigated and appropriate actions will be taken.”

Mizzou also wrote in the post that they “voluntarily eliminated all DEI programs and DEI requirements within the curriculum” and that “Mizzou has complied with all federal directives to end DEI research projects.”

“Lots of us do, you know, DEI types of research and things like that,” Brekhus said in the video.

Brekhus also said that “places” put DEI under new names or other “umbrellas” to make DEI less visible, but it is not clear whether Brekhus meant these “places” to include Mizzou or if he was referring to other institutions.

In July of 2024, Mizzou reportedly eliminated its Division of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in response to proposed DEI legislation in Missouri. UM System President Mun Choi called the change “proactive” in a letter to the MU community.

Read the rest of The Maneater’s article here.

The post Mizzou Student Newspaper Covers Investigation Sparked by AIM Video appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

By Marie Moyer | September 15, 2026 7:10 PM

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri is investigating allegations of staff violating federal and state laws against diversity, equity and inclusion practices after a video reportedly showing a professor expressing support for DEI surfaced Monday.

The video, filmed by Accuracy in Media with what appears to be a hidden camera, shows University of Missouri professor and chair of the Department of Sociology Wayne Brekhus speaking with an AIM investigator about DEI on campus. The interview was also allegedly filmed in December of 2025, according to a timestamp in the video. AIM later clarified with ABC 17 News that the date on the video was inaccurate and the interview was conducted in January 2026.

“I think we have a lot of awesome courses. And lots of us do, you know, DEI type of research,” Brekhus says in the video. “Lots of us do DEI types of research and things like that. I do things with identities and inequalities and used to do a lot of LGBTQ research and things like that.”

The conversation then moved to DEI centers on college campuses.

“Usually what places did is, like, they changed the name, or they put them under a different umbrella to make it less visible that it was DEI or things like that,” Brekhus says.

It is unclear when Brekhus was talking about institutions if the University of Missouri was included in making DEI programs less visible.

AIM said the video shows a public employee breaking the law.

“What we see consistently is that these administrators are breaking laws, deceiving laws, ignoring executive orders to push their radically divisive politics no matter what they’re told to do otherwise, and every taxpayer should be outraged,” AIM President Adam Guillette said.

University student group, Mizzou College Democrats said the interaction was overblown.

“Sociology is the study of social behavior and inequality,” Mizzou College Democrats President Thomas Bruns said. “It misunderstands what the point of the sociology department is. Their job is to research those things. So I didn’t see a problem with it.”

Several X users saw the video and pressured MU to take action. In response, the University of Missouri thanked several users for informing them of the video and reported that an investigation was to take place.

“Professor Brekhus’ conduct will be investigated and appropriate actions will be taken. Mizzou voluntarily eliminated all DEI programs and DEI requirements in the curriculum. Mizzou has complied with all federal directives to end DEI research projects,” a post on MU’s X account stated.

The university later shared a statement from Brekhus: “I apologize for my mistake. The video was taken last year as Mizzou was eliminating its DEI programs. I am fully aware that Mizzou no longer has DEI programs and does not conduct DEI research.”

MU posted that “appropriate actions will be taken” after an investigation.

“Mizzou voluntarily eliminated all DEI programs and DEI requirements in the curriculum. Mizzou has complied with all federal directives to end DEI research projects,” MU posted.

Read the rest of ABC 17’s article here.

The post ABC 17 Reports Mizzou Investigating Professor Following AIM Undercover Video appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

By Ryan Quinn | September 16, 2026

Last October, a Kentucky state senator emailed the general counsel at the state attorney general’s office with a complaint concerning a family member.

“My granddaughter goes to a public institution,” Republican Sen. Gary Boswell wrote in an email obtained via a public records request. “She is being required to take a DEI course. The professor told the class without knowing she was my granddaughter that she ‘changed the title of the course to avoid the state law.’”

“I want this professor fired or worse,” Boswell wrote. He alleged that the Murray State University course was using a book from Howard University professor Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist.

Christopher Thacker, the general counsel for the Kentucky attorney general’s office, checked with the university. Murray State said the course was one of multiple that could satisfy a requirement for one degree. Thacker said he’d follow up with Boswell, and that’s where emails on the subject end. Boswell and the targeted professor didn’t respond to Inside Higher Ed’s requests for comment, and Murray State didn’t provide comment.

These are among a raft of communications and documents provided by James Orlick, a University of Louisville Ph.D. candidate who filed the records request, that open a window into what Kentucky universities and their employees have faced after Kentucky Republicans passed House Bill 4 last year. State legislators overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto to enact the broad anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law during the 2025 legislative session.

HB 4 bans what it defines as DEI offices, employees and training in public colleges and universities. It also prohibits affirmative action in hiring, awarding scholarships and selecting vendors. And it affects curriculum, though only regarding required courses. The law bars institutions from requiring courses whose “primary purpose is to indoctrinate participants with a discriminatory concept,” which it generally defines as one that “justifies or promotes differential treatment” for people based on “religion, race, sex, color or national origin.” The law tasks the attorney general’s office with enforcing it.

Differing interpretations of HB 4—from state politicians, state and university lawyers, activists and others—are also part of ongoing debates and disputes across multiple states about what DEI bans actually do or don’t prohibit, and whether universities are under- or overcomplying. Orlick, who said HB 4 cost him his job at Louisville, said seeing the emails has been traumatizing.

“State monitoring, political oversight, institutional restructuring and restrictions on university autonomy are tactics that we associate with governments such as Orbán’s Hungary or Putin’s Russia,” said Orlick, who stressed he was speaking in his personal capacity. “And I think that seeing some of these same mechanisms emerge in public higher ed should concern us.”

Thacker’s emails show him investigating various allegations of noncompliance with HB 4 that the attorney general’s office received from lawmakers, activists and others. Last September, he invited university presidents and their lawyers to a meeting the following month, telling them that “our review identified a few areas of apparent non-compliance.” The attorney general’s office didn’t respond to Inside Higher Ed’s requests for comment for this article.

Read the rest of Inside Higher Ed’s article here.

The post AIM’s Kentucky DEI Investigations Featured in Inside Higher Ed appeared first on Accuracy In Media.

Areeba Fatima | Sep 15, 2026

Mahmoud Khalil, Mohammed Ibrahim Zubairi, and other members of the Palestine Working Group (PWG) at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) filed a federal civil complaint on Monday accusing the university of failing to protect Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students from doxxing and harassment. Columbia suspended PWG—the last remaining named student organization with “Palestine” in its name—in September 2025.

The complaint names SIPA Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo, who was born in Israel and served in Israeli intelligence during her mandatory military service, claiming she helped contribute to a hostile environment on campus by enacting discriminatory policies and ignoring repeated reports of severe and coordinated harassment against Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students as far back as 2019.

Speaking to the press, Khalil said the university hired private investigators to investigate him, a Columbia graduate student, while he led negotiations between protesters and the university administration during the 2024 pro-Palestine campus encampments that called for the university to disclose and divest from Israel. In March 2025, ICE agents abducted Khalil from his campus residence despite his status as a permanent resident. He spent 104 days in a Louisiana immigration jail, missing the birth of his first child before he was released in June 2025 by a federal judge who ruled that his arrest and detention likely violated the Constitution. Since then, the university has reached out to him only once—to ask him to leave his campus housing.

“We are suing Columbia because of its blatant disregard for our safety and well-being,” Khalil told Drop Site News. “Columbia put us through hell over the past three years,” Khalil said the university administration joined pro-Israel groups in targeting the Palestinian movement on campus.

The suit is just the latest against Columbia’s administration over its policies around the pro-Palestine student encampments. Last month, a group of Palestinian students and faculty filed a lawsuit against Columbia alleging that the university engaged in “anti-Palestinian discrimination and fostered a hostile learning and work environment.” In February 2025, three students filed a complaint against the school administration for their suspensions related to their pro-Palestine activism on campus, claiming the university violated its own policies during the disciplinary process and that the university targeted the students for their views.

Read the rest of Drop Site News’ article here.

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