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Dissertation Information for William Solomon

NAME:
- William Solomon
- (Alias) William Samuel Solomon

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Labor and Industrial Relations

SCHOOL:
- University of California, Berkeley (USA) (1985)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Inspected

Title: TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IN THE WORK PLACE: THE IMPACT OF VIDEO DISPLAY TERMINALS ON NEWSPAPER COPY DESK WORK

Abstract: "Technology is developed and applied by those with the means to do so. Yet U.S. society tends to value technological change in a positive, unquestioning way, equating it with social progress. This research studies the consequences of imposing the video display terminal on a job that had used pencil and paper.

The newspaper copy desk is an important yet anonymous part of the U.S. daily newspaper. As the final step in the editing process, the copy desk is the mediator between the newsroom and the public. It can and sometimes does determine a news story's tone and emphases, and it writes the story's headline.

Copy editing evolved as a separate work position after the Civil War, as newspaper circulations rose and newsroom staffs grew in size. As the division of newsroom labor became more complex, the copy editor became farther removed from the processes of gathering and writing the news. The copy editor's status and authority in the newsroom declined; to this day, most journalists view copy desk work as undesirable.

The VDT was introduced at many U.S. daily newspapers by the mid-1970s. Managements used it to streamline the production process, eliminate production jobs and cut labor costs. The VDT changes the production process by replacing metal typesetting with electronic phototypesetting.

Management typically assigns the copy desk the typesetting function formerly done by printers.

These changes give the copy desk far less time to spend on editing, an increase in work pace, and a decrease in job autonomy.

The VDT also causes changes in newsroom staffing patterns, with the copy desk experiencing a marked increase in its turnover rate. Management now uses the copy desk as a ""training ground"" where workers can learn the VDT production process.

The copy desk also is used now as a ""substitute labor pool,"" supplying workers to fill in temporarily at a growing array of newsroom jobs. The VDT, with its computer-generated graphics, enables management to emphasize such aspects of the newspaper. The result is a growing diversity of newsroom jobs, and an increase in staff scheduling problems.

The VDT has wholly transformed copy desk work, affecting work routines and conditions, and introducing health and safety problems. Management has used the VDT to increase its control over workers, and in so doing it has introduced a new terrain of conflict into the work place. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)"

MPACT Scores for William Solomon

A = 1
C = 4
A+C = 5
T = 1
G = 1
W = 1
TD = 1
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:10:40

Advisors and Advisees Graph

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Students under William Solomon

ADVISEES:
- Duane Stoltzfus - Rutgers University (2001)

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- William David Gibson - Rutgers University (1997)
- Denise Anderson - Rutgers University (1999)
- Tanni Haas - Rutgers University (2000)
- Yael Herzberg - Rutgers University (2000)