Radcliffe Removes Strict Censorship On Publicity, Newspaper Reporters

Radcliffe's stringent control over Annex news and individual publicity ended yesterday with an announcement by President Jordan that student correspondents would no longer have to clear stories through the Publicity Office. Students may also grant outside interviews and pose for pictures without the News Office's permission, heretofore required.

A special committee appointed by Jordan last February drew up the new regulations. The group was instructed to review the press board situation and to submit a revised set of rules for review by the Radcliffe Board of Deans. The committee consisted of six members: Dean Kerby-Miller; Arthur M. Schlesinger, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History; Louis M. Lyons, curator of the Nieman Foundation; Georgianne Davis '51, former CRIMSON Radcliffe Burean Chief; Judith Illsley '51; and Joan Projansky '49, 'Cliffe publicity director.

The new rules state:

1. That the Publicity Office . . . be regularly accessible to students for material . . . but that it not be required that students submit articles to the Publicity Director for checking or approval before sending them to newspapers."

2. That Annex students no longer need to notify the publicity office before being "interviewed or photographed by any newspaper, magazine or television press member outside the College."

Training in Journalism

3. "That students who secure their own appointments as newspaper representatives notify the publicity director, and that students who have not secured specific positions be assisted in this respect by the publicity director." (Previously, the publicity director assigned representatives.)

4. That the practice of having students serve as representatives of newspapers be continued . . . because of its potential value to the College as a medium of publicity and to students as training in journalism.

The problem of press board-administration relations came to a head last December when R. Deborah Labenow '51, Radcliffe Bureau Chief of the CRIMSON, was threatened with disciplinary action for writing a story "not in the best interests of the College." Miss Labenow was forced to resign from the CRIMSON and the Annex press board, under threat of expulsion