Columbia Flayed

Editor & Publisher, passionate professional champion of the daily press, Argus-eyed foe of publicity-seekers, last fortnight attacked Educator Nicholas Murray Butler for allowing Columbia University to conceal somewhere about its curriculum "a course in press agentry." Editor & Publisher viewed with alarm the growing profession of ''public relations counsel." It warned, editorially: "This is the business that Ivy L. Lee, Edward L. Bernays. William B. Shearer . . . are in."

"Propaganda," said the editorial, "can only represent a self-serving and partisan view. Therefore it corrupts the stream of public information. What the world needs is truth, all sides of every story, written by disinterested hands, with sources carefully identified.'' The editorial ended by stating that "newspaperdom, or that part of it which is conscientiously devoted to independent action that the people may know all, would greatly rejoice if President Butler would put the key into the door of this particular classroom and turn it for all time."

Dr. Butler had nothing to say in reply. The course, listed in the Columbia bulletin as "Organization of Public Opinion," was given for the first time last year, taught by George A. Hastings. Editor & Publisher had found other occasions to deplore this course. In the same issue that called Dr. Butler to account was printed a letter from Professor Hastings, sarcastic, grateful:

"To Editor & Publisher: Many thanks for your frequent editorial comments on the course on The Organization of Public Opinion at Columbia. Of course they misrepresent entirely the purpose, content, and spirit of the course, but your fulminations against it have attracted students both this year and last. 'We are advertised by our loving friends.' "

Another thing that made journalists snort at Columbia last week was the annual report of Dr. John William Cunliffe, director of Columbia's School of Journalism. Wrote he: "Reporting and copy-reading (if the terms are strictly interpreted) are young men's jobs and most of those engaged in them get out into executive or editorial positions as soon as they can; very few wish to stay as reporters or copyreaders all their lives; the strain is too great."

Sentimental editors wrote retorts in which they pretended that reporting is such a fine art they would just as soon have pursued it all their lives. They derided the fact that of Columbia's 26 graduate journalists last year, six at once became press agents.