Letters to editor fueled controversy

The Pennsylvania Gazette's editorial policy of printing almost all the letters it receives from alumni has been a frequently debated topic among readers of the magazine. Letters written by alumni to the editor suggest that there has been tension in the past over controversial articles and letters which the editor of the Gazette chose to publish. Alumni frequently question the judgement of Anthony Lyle, the magazine's editor, who strongly believes in publishing all of the letters. But this decision has exacerbated conflict between Lyle and the administration, according to one journalist who serves on an advisory committee to the Gazette. In 1987, when Lyle ran a letter by Wharton alumnus Robert H. Garner criticizing Ronald Lauder, a prominent University alumnus, the letter was accompanied by an "Editor's Note" written by Lyle. The note said reiterated the Gazette's policy of printing all letters, and added that Garner's letter was being printed "despite its harshness." Readers' responses to the letter and the note varied. Jacqueline Grennan Wexler, a life trustee of the University, wrote to the magazine chastising the editor's decision to print the letter. "Your editor's note concedes both the harshness of tone and the nonrelevance of Robert H. Garner's accusations to the subject matter of the article on Ronald Lauder," she wrote. "[N]ame-calling is hardly rational political disagreement. I would hope freedom of the press does not preclude critical judgement on the part of journalists." Another aggravated reader responded not to the editor's decision to print the letter, but to an editor's note that was printed along with the letter. "As an alumnus, I was ashamed at the treatment afforded the views of Robert H. Garner in the February Gazette," alumnus David Ulin wrote. "Mr. Garner wrote to you in good faith to express his opinion of Ambassador Ronald Lauder in the February Gazette, and, although you published his letter, you saw fit to follow his comments with what amounted to an editorial disclaimer. "Give me a break. Your letters section is supposed to be a forum for alumni to air their views without the threat of censorship, real or implied," Ulin continued. "And the fact that you have the nerve to judge Mr. Garner's views is censorship of the most insidious kind." Alumni have also written letters to the Gazette calling into question Lyle's decision to run an article on the controversial photography of Andres Serrano. "I have just today removed the University from my will," alumnus Sean Colgan wrote in a letter to the Gazette. "Unfortunately, the totally inappropriate publication in the Gazette of Andres Serrano's photographs was too much." Other alumni also sent letters to the editor which supported Colgan's opinion. "It is inconceivable to me how you came to the decision to publish Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" and several of his other photographs," E. Jackson Boggs, Jr. wrote. "I am only sure that it was either an act of stunning ignorance or unpardonable callousness." Boggs ended his letter with the request that his Gazette subscription be terminated.