Duke University communications officials advised faculty at the Sanford School of Public Policy and other units to forward media questions about institutional responses to policy changes to central public‑relations staff, amid a $108 million federal research funding freeze and multiple federal inquiries. The guidance, conveyed in internal emails, asked faculty to limit commentary on overarching institutional issues and to route requests to designated communications officers. School leaders publicly encouraged faculty to continue disseminating research but emphasized that questions about Duke’s institutional operations should be handled by central administrators. At an Academic Council meeting, Duke’s president and faculty leaders praised colleagues for declining comment to a New York Times reporter working on a story about federal scrutiny of university diversity programs. Communications routing in this context reflects a tactic institutions are using to manage investigations and federal pressure — but faculty governance advocates warn such practices can chill independent academic voice and public scholarship during high‑stakes investigations.