Posted on: Sunday, December 8, 2002

AFTER DEADLINE
Patience, diligence needed for balanced strike coverage

By Anne Harpham

On the face of it, covering strikes may appear to be fairly easy. After all, there are two sides, each with definable issues. There is conflict and there is an impact on the public that varies, depending on the business or institution affected.

Simple. Right?

Not exactly. The reality is that coverage of strikes and other labor actions presents many minefields for journalists.

The dilemmas start even before a strike begins.

Labor actions involving government and large businesses, such as hospitals, airlines or hotels, in general warrant more extensive coverage than those at a small company that has less of an impact on the community.

In the early stages of bargaining, factors such as the size of the union membership, the size of the company, the potential impact on consumers and the community, and whatever larger issues the talks illustrate all factor into whether we report daily developments. A potential airline strike is of major interest to those planning trips and those whose livelihood depends on the tourism industry. Similarly, a strike by teachers or nurses affects the whole community.

We generally don't report the progress of ongoing bargaining at most local companies or even between government and public employees, and negotiators on both sides usually are reluctant to discuss what's going on because they don't want to derail the process. The reality is that most contract talks move forward with relatively little public conflict and therefore don't generate much news.

But, as Advertiser business editor Judi Erickson points out, contract talks have grown more contentious in the past few years as the economy has softened. Companies facing financial pressure seek concessions or want to freeze pay and benefits. Unions, reflecting increasing member frustration with years of stagnation, are stepping up demands for what they consider long-overdue increases.

Months before any job action, it's not unusual to see both management and labor turn up the volume of public rhetoric. Informational picketing by the unions may be followed by the employer bringing in extra managers to show it can continue operating in the event of a strike. Unions raise the heat with strike authorization votes, an important step toward a strike. But a vote doesn't necessarily mean there will be a strike, and news coverage shouldn't inflate its significance.

We have a fairly tough test for deciding whether to report such developments, since both sides usually are trying to use the news media to gain leverage by pressuring somebody, whether employees, the employer or the community. When we do report such developments, we try not to overplay them, typically running them as briefs or short stories inside the paper. We wouldn't usually publish a photo of informational picketing, unless it's causing a huge public scene as it did when Waikiki hotel employees were threatening to strike last summer.

Fairness is the primary consideration in reporting on labor issues. The goal of both reporters and editors is to make sure that each side is treated equally and that both have the chance to state their positions clearly. Sometimes it is difficult because one side or the other may not want to talk, usually saying it doesn't want to negotiate in public. In some cases, reporters must be diligent in separating propaganda from fact. That requires patience, an ability to dig below the spin that one side or the other wants to get out, and doggedness in pursuing the facts.

"We strive for our stories to reflect the facts of what's happening, as well as the contextual background needed for readers to understand the full process," says Erickson, who oversees much of our labor coverage.

Headlines and photos also are part of the fairness discussion. Picket lines are very visual. It is much more difficult to portray a strike photographically from the management standpoint. We have to be careful that the instinct to use the best picture doesn't outweigh the need to be fair to both labor and management. On Wednesday, we ran a compelling front-page photo of nurses from The Queen's Medical Center on the picket line, and we made it a point to run a secondary photo showing how patients were being cared for by supervisors and others inside the hospital.

Editors review headlines for fairness and balance while recognizing the need to succinctly capture the news of the day.

In the end, balance is what is crucial to all elements of a strike story, from the reporting to the presentation of the package in each day's paper.

Anne Harpham is The Advertiser's reader representative.