<i>this is about access to facts learned through tax-funded government research</i><p>It&#x27;s rather more narrow than that.  University professors were never muzzled, even if all of their research funding came via federal granting agencies.<p>The muzzling of scientists was limited to <i>government</i> scientists, i.e., those belonging to the federal civil service -- the ones whose jobs exist precisely for the purpose of giving advice to the government.