The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-10-22
PRESS AIDED BIG BIZ IN STEEL
STRIKE, STATES CHURCH REPORT

NEW YORK, Oct :o.-The unfair
ness of the public press toward steel
strikers two years ago is shown in a
report just made public by the COM
mission if inquiry Of the interchurch
world movement.
In explaining how public opinion
was manufactured against this notion
wide strike. the report should be the
last word to convince organized
workers that it is necessary for them
to support their labor press.
Practically the entire press of the
country is included in the church
mems Indictment.
The report states that. 400 issues
of seven English Language dailies in
Pittsburgh, appearing during the first
two months of the strike, were ana
lyzed. OF the 400 issues, there was
but one example of first-hand inves-
tigation of conditions among the
strikers by a Pittsburgh reporter.
This single instance concerned pol
ice outrage on foreigners. 1t ap-
peared in the Pittsburgh Press on
October 8 and the reporter described
her investigations as "startling"
Neither the Press nor any other paper
printed another story of the kind.
The report quotes many headlines
and stories from the Pittsburgh
Gazette-Times, Chronicle-Telegraph
Post. Sun, Dispatch, Leader and Press
and notes some Of the more obvious
connections between their ownership
and industrial and financial interests
No one of the papers made a prac-
tice of telling a. different story" from
the rest. None changed it's policy
adopted at the start in the light of
any later investigations or protests
Even when the editors believe the
facts to be different from what they
gard either to particular stories or
general policy.
To illustrate the unfairness Of these
newspapers, the report reprints their
headlines and then compares them
with facts that investigators deve-
loped. On November IT it was an
nounced in first page stories that
the strike had collapsed at the Cam
bria mills in Johnstown 1t was
stated that from 5000 to 10000 strik-
ers had broken ranks. The report
states that 900 men were at work on
the date referred to.
Extended reference Is made in the
report to the repeated claim that the
strike was "bolshevist'' and of Ger
man orgin." The church men dis
miss these casual with this statement:
'The most casual inquiry would
have sufficed to develop the fact that
the steel workers felt that they mad
actual grievances, that they complain
ed of the conditions under which they
had to live and that many of them
were living in congested and intoler-
able surroundings; that for the most
part they were working 10 to IA hours
many of them with a 24-hour shift
every fortnight. while many worked
seven days in the week.
without single exception worthy
of none, the statements, deman ds,
grievances and testimony from the side
of the strikers were printed under
headlines or in context tending to
give the impression that what the
striking steel workers sought was
something unwarranted and that their
grievances were unfounded."
Killings by state or local police
were reported as ''riots," for which
the victims were blamed, say the le-
port. Instances to prove this state
n1ent are cited. In one case a man
was killed by state cossack while
playing with his baby in his yard.
The Commercial-Teleg printed a
story according to the state troop
ers," that the man was 'skillfully
picked off by the troopers while
sniping." In the case Of two negro
strikebreakers wounding striker, the
Leader made no mention of the as
sailants but praised the .cossack for