Volume LXXVII, Number
trojan
University of Southern California
Union representatives dissatisfied with media coverage
By Sean Dunnahoo
Assistant Editor
Organized labor leaders said at a panel discussion held Monday that the bad images of labor unions were due to unprofessional practices by journalists and fault)' public relations by the unions themselves.
The discussion, sponsored bv the School of Journalism, the Los Angeles Press Club Education Foundation and the Southwestern University School of Law, is the first in a series of discussions attempting to examine the problems the media has had covering financial topics.
Future topics will involve public utilities, public firms and other areas which have traditionally been improperly covered by the media, said Buster Sussman of the Southwestern
an ebb and must realize they must begin a good public relations program and sell the good things about organized labor, Bryan said.
Bryan feels there must be an evolution in labor unions, where the unions pick themselves back up and overcome past damages to their credibility-
Such damages are from extra publicity focusing on “bad apples" in union leadership such as embezzlers, he said.
Robertson also feels that the press hasn't been objective in reporting organized labor affairs, and through that, an antagonism between the press and the unions has resulted
As an example, Robertson said that this "yellow journalism” was exhibited when the NBC network made an alleged expose of gangsters tied in with Governor Jerry Brown and with
The union representatives were dissatisfied with union coverage in the media and the bad image for organized labor that has arisen because of one-sided coverage.
law school and coordinator of the programs.
Edward Bassett, director of the school of journalism, moderated the discussion and posed the questions to a panel consisting of William R. Robertson, executive secretary-treasurer, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Allan D. Brvan. president of the bakery, confectioner)' and tobacco workers international union. Local No. 37, and Paul Crost, an attorney at law who has represented many labor unions in court.
The union representatives were dissatisfied with union coverage in the media and the bad image for organized labor that has arisen because of onesided coverage.
Labor unions have come to
labor officials. The information that was aired was eventually falsified.
The extent of coverage of labor unions and their crimes is massive in relation to other corporate crimes such as embezzlement and extortion, Robertson said.
This limited coverage has resulted in labor unions being accused of having too much political clout and power in government, he said
Many people feel that the labor unions are rich, although the opposite generally holds true, Bryan said.
This lack of money results in poor public relations, and the good aspects of organized labor cannot be shown to the public. When there is an strike emmi-nent, press coverage leans to-
ward the corporate side of the disagreement because corporations can afford to advertise heavily through the mediaand get their side heard by more people, he said.
But the public press never reports the instances where organized labor helps downtrodden people and holds fundraisers for various charities, Bryan said.
If one out of 5,000 labor leaders happens to go bad, the news is reported on the front page of the newspaper, he said. But labor unions do much good for the public and this information is not getting reported to the public because of lack of funds.
Bryan thinks that public relations could be improved if a way could be found to increase income in the unions without raising dues, which are already high. Dues are the only way that unions get money, and can't be raised any higher, he said. Another source of income would have to be found. Another example of unprofes-sionalism by the news media was brought out at the panel discussion.
Robertson told of how the Los Angeles Times printed an article on the opinion page by Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Shabarum against workman's compensation.
Robertson wrote an article in rebuttal, and after three weeks of gathering research to dispell some of the information in Sha-barums's article, Robertson sent the article to the Times.
The newspaper wouldn't print it because they said that the issue was old, and Robertson felt that the paper was showing unprofessionalism by not printing the article and giving the other side of the issue.
Robertson, however, finally got the article printed, but only
because he had friends at the paper who could get it published.
He claimed that the media is not always sure of the facts, but go ahead and give the story to the public anyway. A rebuttal, if it is printed, may not help because the original result of the story could have been devastating, he said.
Crost has worked with many small newspapers in Orange County as a legal representative for unions. He said that if a reporter he has talked to prints something that is incorrect and he tells the reporter about it, a stock reply is, 'The story was printed two days ago, and by the time I rewrite it, it's dead news.'
Crost said he has often asked reporters to call him back before a story is published to insure that the facts are correct.
place because papers just want to sell papers, and consequently must tell the story that will sell the most papers.
Why aren't the positive newsworthy items about labor printed?
“It's not the thing that's interesting to the readers," he said.
Crost believes that much of the image problem organized labor has had lies with the fact that many high school and college courses do not emphasize the role unions have played in American history. People who are union members have come out of school not knowing what unions do.
It took movies such as On the Waterfront to teach many people about organized labor, Crost said. More movies such as that one are needed to inform people about unions be-
One problem with the image of unions is that they are seen as groups trying to get as much as they can get, the representatives said.
Some reporters call him back, but most don't, he said.
Local and smaller papers give him more trouble with incorrect facts than does the Los Angeles Times, he said.
Bryan admitted that although the bakers union has trouble getting coverage because they aren't really making news, but said that their biggest problem is that when the union does have news, they have a hard time getting it printed because of difficulties getting the media to cover it in the first place.
When there is a strike, for instance, Bryan said that the media gives the management's side first, and gives the laborer's side in the few final paragraphs.
Bryan feels that this takes
cause the film medium can be very informative, he said.
One problem with the image of unions is that they are seen as groups trying to get as much as they can get.
Actually, the unions want to get what is best for their members, keeping in pace with inflation and President Carter's economic guidelines, Robertson said.
He said that he'couldn't think of a single contract exceeding the guidelines.
Bryan said that organized labor has been trying to catch up with inflation, and hasn't been able to. He feels that this is the direct opposite of their image as a group trying to get as much out of management as possible.
University filled with song, dance
by Joe Boyle
"It's Jesus," cried out the priest to the congregation assembled at the Town and Gown foyer last weekend.
“He's the one who heals; he's the one with the power."
“There are people here today with back problems, heart problems and tuberculosis; those who have a hard time living with themselves," he cried aloud.
“Jesus is the one who can heal and if you have that ailment, please put up your hand
—	right now!"
There have been many times when I've been down in the dumps and frustrated, so out of both curiosity and hoping to develop more patience, I raised my hand.
I had barely raised it than I was surrounded on all sides.
Louise Hanum, who had explained some of the Charismatic philosophy earlier to me, placed her hand on my shoulder. Sylvia Woodgates, from the All Saints Episcopal Church in Bakersfield, held my arm. The person sitting behind me, whom I had not met, touched the back of my head.
I turned to look at my girlfriend, Teri, who was sitting beside me. She looked as
puzzled by all of this, as I was.
Feeling slightly awkward and not knowing what to do I held her arm.
I felt at ease for that brief moment; as if I were a child again, secure in knowing my parents were close by.
In the background I could still hear the priest's soothing voice softly uttering, “Jesus is alive, right now; his ways, his thoughts are with us."
Fr. Dennis Bennett, Rector of St. Luke's, Seattle, Washington was the keynote speaker at the conference entided "With All Boldness." He would tell me later, that when Jesus arrived at a village he would heal the sick and the suffering before he would begin preaching.
Healing though, is only one of the many gifts bestowed upon reborn Christians, also known as Charismatics, who are a rapidly growing movement, or fellowship within Protestant and Catholic Churches.
It is an "awakening of renewal in Christian Life," says George Woodgates, pastor of the All Saints Episcopal Church in Bakersfield.
This renewal takes p'ace during a second baptism, at which time, the newly born again Christian, receives power from the
Holy Spirit.
“Your calling is to bring renewal to the total parish" said Fr. Bob Harvey of Santa Barbara to those attending his workshop, one of the many held during the three day conference.
It was the sixth and by far the largest of the Western Regional Conferences of the Episcopal Charismatic Fellowship which was held over the weekend at the University.
More than 1400 attended the three day conference with live-in arrangements, at the womans' complex, provided by the Conference Planning Committee and the University.
The Conference, whose major theme this year was "W'ith All Boldness", included 32 different workshops, for members, most of whom were lay people.
The workshops were taught by both clergy and lay people and hopefully, “will provide both inspiration and solid teaching for all who attend, said the conference Master of Ceremonies, Fr. Bob Harvey.
I felt a lot of kindness that day at the University and as 1 got in my car to drive home, I looked over at Teri and could not help but smile.