A degree from Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, that is. I understand it's a prestigious institution, but I'm having a hard time figuring out why -- especially after having read this comment by the school's dean regarding the New York Times' deal with Columbia University to slant its coverage.

The dean of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, Nicholas Lemann, a longtime staff writer for New Yorker magazine, said the deal may have been a breach of ethics — but a minor one.

“This would be in the realm of the venial, and I’m not sure whose sin it is: the Times, Columbia, or both,” he said. “In an ideal story, the story would quote all parties concerned.”

Only "ideal" stories contain both sides of a highly charged issue? Is that what they teach at Columbia?