Censoriousness is not a quality I want to cultivate, but
sound journalistic practice is so important a thing -that serious departures from it ought at least to be discussed. What I have immediately in mind is a strange action by a London evening paper this week. The paper in question, having made a belated discovery of a booklet by Major Victor Cazalet, M.P. (which I read myself weeks ago), of which only 30o copies were printed for private circulation, has thought fit to quote from it at some length in its " Diary " column, choosing passages which, while perfectly proper in a private publication, Major Cazalet would obviously never have dreamed of writing for general publication, and which certainly ought not to be given general publicity now. The quotations are prefaced by the plain admission that the book " was intended for private circulation" and supplemented by criticism of Major Cazalet for writing what the paper saw fit to quote. It is important to establish whether this is legitimate journalism or not. I submit that it is not. If some authoritative body decides otherwise I shall be very ready to apologise to the paper concerned.
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