The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-04-21

Labor and the Press, the topic of the final forum of the Diocesan Labor Institute to be conducted May ' at The Elton, is vital and lively subject. Representatives of all Wa terbury newspapers and the AFL and CIO will be on the platform that night to express their indi- vidual views.
 So numerous are the component parts of such topic that it will be impossible to condense its gen. eral theme during tine few hours of such forum meeting The con- tentions Of either side could con- sume days in exposition Yet, so interesting is any one component part that the evenings discussion should be of interest to all.
 Press Fair
 At bhe outset We go on record as saying that generally speaking we believe the local press has been fair in it's treatment of labor news. It has afforded generous space whether the news has been favor able or unfavorable to labor inter- ests. It's editorial treatment has been directed toward the common good and not necessarily as a means of deliberately taking pot-sa1ots at labor. Where bias and personal spite has crept into the tone of such writings it usually has been the fault of the individual writer who at the time of composition had yet to hear from the office boy he had sent out to the near est drug store for a curative for his dyspepsia. Headaches, nervous stom- achs and the jitters are the com mon lot of newspapermen and it is a credit to them that they have Subordinated these plaques to bring forth creations of balanced propor- tions by means of their essays.
 Labor Movement
 The treatment of labor news by the national press in the past ten years has called for the utmost in discernment and cautious intellect particularly because labor'S sudden emergence into the sphere of its rightful place was comparable to a renaissance without precedent, if such a phrase can be accurate. It is to say that it was renaissant in spirit because of its zeStful and viz orouS aim toward new ideals: it was without precedent because never in the history of this world had such movement assumed such po- sitive proportions. For these req sons a tremendous responsibility was saddled upon the press of America in determining its meaning, it's con- dition and identity. While mistakes were made and prejudices adopted a review of the press treatment of the movement reveals it to have been intelligent and fair.
 We will stick out our neck and say that we believe labor made many mistakes during that period. We qualify that statement by add ing that, in many instances, those mistakes were honest ones bred by over enthusiasm and impatience. In those formative years labor briStled at criticism probably because of its youthfulnesS and struck back by the of adopting its own set of as to the attitude of the press. It viewed the press only as 3 one-sided (and at that a lop- sided instrument designed to ex- press the positive factors of labor, and which by its silence and reti- cence should disguise the mistakes and blunders of the same movement. The press was to act, by the views held by many labor leaders of that time. either as an instrument of propaganda or not function at all. The press of America has been in the business of news analysis and treatment since the birth of this nation and refused to Succumb to | such pressure.
 We are not painting the press as the paragon of righteousness and the labor movement as a berserk woodchopper failing away with a blunted axe. The credit side of labor is an ample one embellished by numerous displays of courage. the least of which is the fact that they have willingly exposed many of their plans to the glare of public print that the people might deter mine their motives. By this me- thod also they have exposed evils of (