[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
Six,—Since your contributor, Mr. Denis Gwynn, invites professional journalistic opinion on the subject of schools of journalism, it may be of interest to your readers to know that, as recently as August last, this subject was discussed at the annual conference of the Institute of Journalists, a chartered body representative of all branches of professional journalism. At the conference the following resolution was passed -unanimously :- " That no fellow or member of the Institute be associated with any school of journalism, or with any. other course of education in journalism, which has not been approved by. the Council."
Speaking in support of the resolution, Sir Alfred Robbins, one of the most distinguished members of our craft, said
Certain courses, such as that of the University of -London, are doing excellent work. Touting advertisements of schools ' that promise thinks which cannot be realized are poisonous to the best interests of journalism."
Sir Alfred recalled the fact that at the Glasgow Conference of the Institute, in 1904, he had fathered a similar resolution.
The question was then a relatively new one, and his strong censure of the methods adopted by some of these " schools " was extensively reported, Punch contributing a poem to the
discussion, _ . . Further, Mr. If. A. Taylor (London), chairman of the Executive Committee of the Institute Council, observed :
Since his chairmanship of the Executive he had become aware of the very numerous claims for unemployment benefit made on the Institute. No less than-V0,274 was pald'bfit utiernployrnent and benevolent grants last year by the three great organizations for newspaper men—the 1nstitute,.the Newspaper Press Fund and the National Union—and this significant-fact should be considered side by side with-the' ittious advertisements of schools of journalism.' Even if all the schools were swept away, the man' who wished to enter, :and-Was likely to succeed in, the profession would not suffer any hti,rdship: 'Mete schools appealed to amateurs obsessed by a desire to see their work in print."
The figure given in this last quotation should be an effective answer to Mr. Gwynn's statement about the demand for
journalists " far exceeding the supply."—I am, Sir, &c., R. V. WALLING, Sec., Institute of Journalists.
2-4 Tudor Street, London, E.C. 4.
[Mr. Gwynn asked for opinions and here is a very plain one for a:beginning. For our part we regard writing, includ- ng writing for newspapers, as something in the nature of an art not to be bound strictly by a kind of trade-union regulation. The director of one of the leading schools of British Journalism will reply to this letter next week.—En, Spectator.]
Previous page
