Between the Lines

At the convention of the American Newspaper Guild now taking place in Cleveland, William Edlin, the newly elected president of the Jewish Writers’ Club in New York startled the delegates with a report about the position of the Yiddish journalist in America.

In his address before the convention, Mr. Edlin related that the economic interests of the Yiddish journalist in America are far better protected than those of the newspapermen working in the American press. He emphasized that the Jewish Writers’ Club in New York—which is the professional organization of the Yiddish journalists—has been for years active in securing a decent wage minimum for Jewish newspapermen and that it is much higher than the minimum wage of the English newspapermen.

AMERICAN PRESSMEN SURPRISED

It was a surprise to many delegates at the convention to find out that the hiring and firing system existing in the English newspaper, according to which any member of the staff can be dismissed without notice, is not practiced on Jewish newspapers. For years the Jewish Writers’ Club has seen to it that no writer on the staff of a Jewish newspaper may be fired, except on proven charges, after being in the employ of a newspaper for three months.

The high standard of ability required in the profession of Jewish journalism was also news to many delegates at the convention of the American Newspaper Guild. The average American journalist as a rule looks upon the Yiddish press as a foreign institution. He is apt to regard the Jewish journalist as a “foreigner” who is thus of an inferior calibre compared to the English journalist.

NEWSPAPER GUILD STIMULATED

Mr. Edlin dispelled this false impression. In his address before the convention he gave a clear picture of the high qualities which he must possess before entering the field of Jewish journalism.

The convention seemed much impressed by the facts reported by Mr. Edlin. Heywood Broun, president of the Guild, was so moved that he admitted from the platform that the report of Mr. Edlin was most stimulating to the future activities of the Newspaper Guild, and that the Guild had much to learn from the experiences of the Jewish Writers’ Club in the field of economic protection for its members.

JEWISH PUBLISHERS COOPERATE

The Jewish Writers’ Club which has a membership of about 200 in New York, has branches in Chicago and Philadelphia, where several Yiddish daily newspapers are published. It is affiliated with the American Federation of Labor in Chicago and with the United Hebrew Trades in New York. It is a labor union in the full sense of the word, the only difference being that in addition to providing economic security for its members, it also conducts wide cultural activities for non-members.

Publishers of Yiddish papers as a rule, cooperate with the Jewish Writers’ Club. It is to the credit of the Club that with the exception of its Philadelphia branch, no strike has ever been declared on the newspapers where its members are employed.