ABSTRACT
The condition of labour journalism is one of decline, in terms of membership, energy, political influence, and professional standing. The precise reason for this is disputed by members and trade union officials alike. Few trade unions, with the exception of organisations representing white collar public sector workers, had put in place arrangements which would ensure a daily supply of labour news for correspondents, though the union conference season began to encourage a seasonal migration away from London. For some journalists, the recent decline in the fortunes of labour journalism and the standing of the Labour and Industrial Correspondents’ Group should be regarded as simply a ‘down turn’ in a cyclical process. During the 1920s a number newspapers carried reports by ‘industrial correspondents’ but it is unclear whether these journalists were really specialists or little more than general reporters.
