Almost from the introduction of the new technology into newsrooms, the video display terminal (VDT) has raised health concerns. Ironically, the newspaper industry--which ordinarily would be at the forefront, acting as a watchdog over worker health and safety concerns--has initiated little news coverage of the VDT radiation issue. The Newspaper Guild and other employee organizations have mounted campaigns to ensure VDT regulation, while the American Newspaper Publishers Association and state and national press associations think education is better than legislation. Both sides, however, engage in misinformation campaigns that only serve to make more confusing the contradicitory scientific evidence concerning VDT radiation hazards. By exercising their roles as "media gatekeepers," publishers may be guilty of subordinating the public interest to their private interests, since the VDT is an efficient, cost saving tool in the newsroom. (HTH)