It Seems Lame For Journalists To Say "No Comment."

The Washington Post follows up on the Columbia J-School testing scandal today (Journalism School Probes Possible Cheating on Ethics Exam - washingtonpost.com) by pointing out a couple of interesting things: (1) the news was actually broken by an online magazine not a mainstream publication, and (2) teacher Samuel Freedman and several of the school's deans -- themselves journalists -- have refused to comment.

Journalists refusing to comment seems sort of lame to me, and only likely to make the story bigger. But then again I have a lot to learn about how journalists feel when they are under the microscope. Last winter, I was surprised and amazed to find out that many journalists consider their conversations with other journalists off the record.

Remaining questions: Who leaked the story to Radaronline.com, how much (if any) actual cheating took place, and -- my favorite -- will the most obvious person to comment on this story, newbie blogger Richard Colvin, duck the story or dare say anything interesting?

Previous Posts:
J-School Students Cheat -- On An Ethics Exam
Colvin Joins The Blogosphere