Columbia University students eyeing careers in diplomacy are being warned to avoid linking to or posting comments about secret U.S. documents released by the WikiLeaks website.
A spokesman for the Ivy League school confirmed today that the Office of Career Services circulated an e-mail to students at the School of International and Public Affairs, known for cultivating future diplomats.
The Nov. 30 e-mail says an alumnus at the U.S. State Department had contacted the office, saying the diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks were “still considered classified.”
The e-mail said online discourse about the documents “would call into question your ability to deal with confidential information.”
Most federal government jobs require a background check.
WikiLeaks has been releasing a trove of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables over the past week.