Exhibit JC42 - The Leveson Inquiry

For Distribution to CPs}tacks and Dons - Teaching at the London University Journalism School 1919-1939: Its origin,development and influence.The Newspaper Society’s Involvement in Education DebateAs the national representative body of the provincial newspaper pressthe Newspaper Society (founded 1836) had a major role to play in theprocess of negotiations between unions and management over a variety oftopics and, in 1919, education for journalists achieved prominence in thedebate around ’reconstructing’ the postwar society. Valentine Knappintroduced the idea in his article ’The Postwar Weekly’ in the series ’PostWar Conditions’ in January, 1919. He wrote: ’Nor should the educationalneeds of our own industry be neglected. When the requirements of othertrades and professions are under consideration, let the claims of journalismbe advanced with deliberation and courage.’As another writer commented once the Diploma for Journalism hadstarted: ’it provided liberal education.., but is lacking on the practical side’which individual Fleet Street men are voluntarily undertaking to lecture tostudents. ’34 Once Valentine Knapp was appointed Chairman of theJournalism Committee of London University this situation changed and, aswe have seen, a course of lectures on ’The General Principles of Writingfor the Press’ were undertaken by Mr. Edward G. Hawke an Oxfordgraduate who worked on The Spectator and was also a leader writer for theDaily Telegraph. Knapp’s ten years as Chairman (1922-32) witnessed arenewed interest, especially from the Newspaper Society whose MonthlyCircular regularly carried details of Exhibitions raised by Knapp and ofstudents (diplomees, as it called them) seeking positions in journalism. By1925 ten annual Exhibitions were awarded, one from the N.U.J., the restfrom provincial newspapers groups or individual papers? 5 This meant thatfive were awarded to first year and five to second year students, usuallyrunning over the two-year Diploma. All five Exhibitioners graduating in 1925gained their diplomas, out of the fifteen awarded, ten of which went towomen students. In eleven years of the course women awarded theDiploma outnumbered men. 36First Steps Towards Negotiating a National Body for TrainingReturning to the developments within the National Union of Journalistswe find an increasing number of articles appearing in The Journalist - six bymembers of the Education Committee between June 1932, and March1933 - and the attitudes behind their appearance provide information aboutthe reasons for this activity? 7Many of the arguments offered to justify entry tests, or examinations,referred to the weakness of any machinery for regulating entry into theUnion itself while negotiations with the Newspaper Society were describedas providing: ’for a scheme for making entrance to journalism dependent ona system of examinations in keeping with the practice of journalism whichwould... (provide) a method which would go a long way to restrict the inflowof new entrants to the ranks of journalism.., and give an assurance of...right quality. ’38 155MOD100051326