{
  "id": 1420699,
  "title": "Reclaiming reason for transformation: Academic populism and the university",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/reclaiming-reason-for-transformation-academic-populism-and-the",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T04:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mail and Guardian",
    "slug": "mail-and-guardian",
    "url": "https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/2026-08-17-reclaiming-reason-for-transformation-academic-populism-and-the-university/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Universities are ethical institutions. They shape how society thinks, argues, judges and imagines its future. At their best, they cultivate critical reason, democratic judgment and public responsibility. Their task is not only to produce knowledge but to build the conditions under which knowledge can serve justice, repair and the public good.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "USM climbs 149 places in Academic Ranking of World Universities, now Malaysia’s top university",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/usm-climbs-149-places-in-academic-ranking-of-world-universities-now",
        "published": "2026-08-16T11:59:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}