LSU professor, outspoken Jindal critic says tenure law protects him from gubernatorial retaliation

Bob Mann, an LSU communications professor and one of the most outspoken critics of Gov. Bobby Jindal, tells The Lens that he gets questioned about his tenure status at the university just about every day—even once recently by former Gov. Kathleen Blanco. They “assume that if I didn’t, Jindal would find a way to get rid of me,” says Mann in the article, which focuses on Jindal’s “reputation in Baton Rouge for punishing state employees and state legislators who get in his way or might sully his image.” Mann does indeed have tenure, meaning LSU officials cannot terminate him without just cause. The Lens says several legislators and top state officials told the publication they could not be quoted criticizing the governor for fear of reprisal. Mann’s “Something Like the Truth,” routinely rips Jindal for a wide variety of issues; most recently about budget cuts at LSU. Mann, who has a $117,000 annual salary to hold the Manship Chair at the school and serve as director of the school’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, believes that the tenure law protects him, adding he doesn’t plan on holding his fire. Read the full story here.