C’mon,” said the other professor, “tell us your nut graph.” I gave up and dropped the pad. “What’s a nut graph?” I asked. “He doesn’t know what a nut graph is!” someone shouted. The adjunct professor took pity. He tried again, gently. “In the article you are writing about the school,” he said. “What’s your null hypothesis?” My null hypothesis? My null hypothesis! My angle. My bias. My take. My … point … of … view! “My null hypothesis,” I said, “is that the Columbia Journalism School is all bullshit.” They paused. “That’s a good null hypothesis,” one said, finally.

That’s from “J-School Ate My Brain” by Michael Lewis, New Republic, April 19, 1993. Read on. Scroll down for the response by Joan Konner, Dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.