To some it may seem that various fanciful tales that appear almost daily in many local newspapers constitute the most extreme form of misrepresenting Harvard in the public press; but they should see papers from remote parts of the country if they would learn how distorted and perverted yellow news may become after travelling a few thousand miles. If one were to make a business of scrutinizing generally the press of the country for Harvard news, one would no longer wonder why so many misconceptions are rife concerning the life and students of the University.
It is with the purpose of nullifying this influence and of giving wide circulation to news of interest concerning the University that the University Press Club has been organized. In the past reports of the progress of the University in educational problems, of the contributions to knowledge and human welfare made here, and of the true development of student life have given place to absurd, and at times preposterous, tales about insignificant things. The Press Club realizes it cannot eliminate such stories, for there always exist many papers that care to print nothing else, but it does aim to give wider publication to Harvard news that should be known. If the new organization is successful, and its plans presage well, the yellow, injurious news will be superseded in influence by true facts.
In securing this wide publicity the Press Club needs the co-operation of newspaper correspondents. The Federation of Territorial Clubs, part of whose work is to disseminate Harvard news, has indorsed the new plan and will render it useful aid. To make this help entirely effective the students in the University who regularly send news items to various papers should get into communication with the Press Club so as to become members and to assist the publicity movement. The Press Club does not aim to establish a censorship over the public press by saying what shall be published and what not, for such a policy would be inapplicable. But it does aim to displace derogatory and libellous news by wide report of what the University and its students are really doing.
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