“Labor’s Monkey Wrench”: Newsweekly Coverage of the 1962-63 New York Newspaper Strike

Abstract

This article provides a frame and textual analysis of coverage appearing in Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report of the 114-day 1962-63 strike of the International Typographical Union Local 6 against New York City newspapers. The strike was particularly important for asserting the union’s collective bargaining rights and establishing its stance on automated printing processes. Analysis of the newsweeklies’ treatment of the strike suggests how these outlets related the event in terms favourable to the newspaper publishers, while misrepresenting or disparaging the union’s position in and justification for the strike.