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Knew it had to break eventually. And now apparently CNN is casting commentators. Good times... See y'all at 1:45 tomorrow!

Ivy J-Schoolers Fail Ethics, Ace Irony

Cheating on an ethics exam? It sounds like the setup for a joke. But
a group of grad students at Columbia's journalism school are
suspected of having done just that, according to a source at the
institution.

Tomorrow, the entire student body is required to attend a special
session of "Critical Issues in Journalism," an ethics course taught
by New York Times columnist Samuel Freedman. In an e-mail announcing
the meeting last week, vice dean David Klatell stated only that
there had been a "serious problem" with the final exam. Failure to
attend the session, Klatell warned, would result in a failing grade
for the course.

Neither Klatell nor Freedman responded immediately to calls for
comment, but students believe the purpose of the meeting is to
exhort suspected cheaters to step forward. "It's an 'Out yourself
or you'll all have to suffer' situation," says the source.

"Critical Issues," an all-school seminar, focuses on dilemmas facing
journalists in the post-Judith Miller and Jayson Blair era. The
class includes topics such as "Why be Ethical?" and "Tribal Loyalty
vs. Journalistic Obligation." The final exam consists of two essay
questions to be completed in 90 minutes. Since the test can be
taken at any time during a 36-hour period, students are instructed
not to discuss the exam questions with each other.

In this case, it seems a few of the aspiring Woodwards and
Bernsteins were a little too adept at working their sources. No
word on how the school's administration got wind of the cheating.

If the disgruntled posts on RateMyProfessors.com are any indication,
Freedman's students haven't exactly been soaking up his sermons.

"Maybe he could e-mail his 'speeches' to the students instead of
making everyone suffer through the most wasted class in j-school
(collective punishment?). His ethical Fridays were a pompous
exercise in self-adulation. He seldom talks about the readings and
a typical speech always begins, 'In (fill in year here).'"

By Jeff Bercovici 11/30/06 3:07 PM