Exhibit JC42 - The Leveson Inquiry

For Distribution to CPsThe University of London Diploma for Journalism: The Educational Background and Aims ofthe Courseon American journalism courses were expected to do: ’...cover newsstories like ordinary reporters, handle copy like ordinary sub-editors, and insome cases produce their own newspapers under real rush conditions.They practice the selection of news and the insertion of headlines, and,what is equally important, they are taught something of the work of thecommercial, distributing, advertising and other vital departments of anewspaper organisationi 49Clarke’s attitude towards his own students exemplified his approach tothe subject of teaching journalism when he threatened to refuse to look at’copy’, the students written reports of events, which was not presented incorrect newspaper style: with margins, on one side of the paper (quarto notfoolscap). Included under ’Newspaper Style’ he placed aspects ofgrammar, spelling, punctuation as well as ’best English’, echoing Dr.Sinclair Will’s belief that a well-conducted school of journalism should beone of the best of all English departments in the training in writing clear,simple, graphic English, ’embracing the judicious use of the right word inthe right place. ’5°Clarke committed his thoughts (about the value of his future position inKing’s College) on the back of ten pages of lecture notes? 1 In his eyeseducation for journalism was a public service, and improvement inintellectual qualifications, as well as professional fitness, was of as muchvalue to the public as it was to newspapers: ’There is now a definiteupwards tendency due to the broadening intelligence of the public...academic standards cannot be debased (because) the press generallymust be committed to the spread of higher intelligence. ’52One of the books on journalism education that Clarke admired was Dr.Allen Sinclair Will’s Education for Newspaper Life published in 19311 andhe turned the usual dictum of newspapermen, about the ’best newspaperuniversity is the newspaper itself’, to his own advantage by taking Will’s linethat ’you can’t teach practical journalism by theoretical lectures. ’~3The apparent contradiction involved in teaching practical journalism wasresolved, in Clarke’s notes, in this way: ’... Journalism... can be taught.The task a news editor gives a reporter can be given in a school ofjournalism as well as in an office and with more individual attention(because) editors are too busy. ’s4This explains Clarke’s insistence on getting the atmosphere of thenewspaper into the classroom by having the news agencies installed in theJournalism Room at King’s College, with bulletin board, reporters’ desksand typewriters. He was adamant that students must do the real things theywould do as reporters and get away from the concept of ’playing at it.’ Hiswas not a course to merely study journalism, but one where you did it. ’Nothow to. But do it. ’55 So the first year’s instruction in practical journalismwould be nearly all reporting work and he estimated he would need at leasttwo, if not three, hours consecutively with the students each week.However, just as Professor Will had wanted two full consecutive days eachweek (but only got two afternoons) for his practical newspaper sessions inhis American School of Journalism so Clarke had to make do with two86tMOD100051257