The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-10-22

-
1912.
] want to talk to you tonight about
the role The labor press can play in the
war effort You. as editors, have Il most
important job To do and Il very great
responsibility. Not only must you eX.
plain, publiciZe and coordinate various
phases of war activities, but at the
same time you must do Il public rela-
tions job for and to Labor. The way
in which you handle war news, the
way in which you determine where the
stress is 10 be laid on your editora
pages will decide what many people
think of Organized Labor and what
Organized Labor thinks. You see, pub
lie relations isn't just Il term to eX-
press what you can get in or keep out
of a newspaper. That is press agentng,
Public relations implies a complete
merchandising plan.
1t has been an unfortunate thing that
Organized Labor througout the past
years has not properly merchandiSe,l
itself to the public. During the last
decade it has made tremendous strides
in power, but in these critical days in
order to retain this power it must keep
public opinion thoroughly sold on the
value of the Organized Labor move
ment i'm Democracy.
The task that lies before the labor
editors today is, therefore, two-fold :
"up nnhIi.itr l,lnp ,,uI,li, al
tionS. 1t sounds difficult. but after all
ninety per cent of what men call
genius is only talent for hard work.
Your circulation is not buying your
paper for news. but for information
cullod To the needs of Labor. There
fore, there is no reason why you can't
meet these needs. There is no reason
why YOU can't give inspiration and
leadership 10 your readers. All that is
necessary is II conscientious study of
the facts presented to you and a simple
presentation of them as You see them
without fear or favor.
Dr. Stclzle always used to quote.
"The average working man reads his
labor paper as the early Christians
read their New Testament" If this is
So then you have Il great responsibility
because you not only have to give the
thing to live by.
Chesterton once defined despOtism as
n tired democracy, whose citizens had
left the eternal vigilance which is TN"
price of liberty to one individual alone.
Each and every one of YOU has the
job of being Waterman for the labor
movement in your area. You must warn
and protect, as we'll rs lead You must
think ahead just as surely and clearly
rs you did before this war started
when the labor press was the first to
recognize the dangers.
SO far the labor press has been Il
loud speaker for the war agencies 1t
Went TO town on the questions OF bonds,
and all the way down the line ii has
given full representation TO the releases
of the government agencies. This how
ever, is not enough. Don't just repeat
what others ask YOU to say. Remem-
ber ii Is your task to explain and to
interpret the material sent to yor. No
matter how busy YOU are You can't
edit the paper with a pair of scissors
and il paste pot. You must interpret
the material You receive and the best
way 10 do this is To put down in your
own words just what You read means
10 you.
We all know that we can't win the
war by wishing. We have to win ii by
Work-by the production of munitions,
supplies, food and ships for our far
flung battle lines the world over. The
quickest way 10 win th war Is the best
way to win ii, and this means discard
ing everything that won't help in the
all-out effort. II Is up To the labor
editors 10 get this idea across To the
men who read their papers. The daily
press may say the same thing. but il
sometimes takes Scoldng paternal-
iStic tone. The labor editor on the other
hand Is talking To his own people. He
can ask more because he can Civ"
more. He can demand more of Labor
because he realizes how deep are the
sacrifices already made. He can urge
more tasks upon Labor because he
fully appreciates the ideals Of Labor.
If you labor editors can tell your
readers what they must not SAY YOU
Will he doing II great service. OF course,
IL Is temptation To attract attention
or 10 claim exclusive news, but no ship
can be sunk because of what wasn't
said, and in the last analysis the labor
press doesn't 20 In for yellow journal
ism or scoop stories
The Labor Leaders here in Toronto
used Il phrase which | repeated in one
of my articles. II was, "A job well
done and still tongue are the best
weapons in the fight against Hitler and
his treacherous fifth column"
That was mighty good statement
and Is symbolic of one of the best jobs
you as editors can do in helping the
war effort. If you could just drive
these two ideas home to the rank and
file of your readers, you would be per-
forming an inestlmable service to your
government.
In that connection let me say | have
Of h.,