As Duke University faces federal investigations and a freeze on $108 million in research funding, some administrators advised faculty to forward media inquiries to central communications rather than speak directly about institutional responses. Internal emails and department notes urged coordination to avoid inconsistent public messaging during heightened scrutiny. Faculty critics described the guidance as chilling academic engagement with the press; university leaders framed it as advising consistent institutional spokespeople. The episode underscores growing tensions at research universities balancing faculty autonomy, public accountability, and centralized crisis communications amid policy attacks and funding conditionality from federal officials.