The Living Newspaper was a new technical form of theater that dramatized a single social problem through the presentation of news events that affect the lives of the characters. The "Triple-A Plowed Under" in 1936 focused on the farm problem and criticized the Supreme Court. The play "Power" in 1937 advocated greater popular control over public utilities, and "One-Third of a Nation" in 1938 exposed the poverty of big-city slums. Flanagan decided to shut down the play "Injunction Granted" that dealt with the theme of labor in the courts and was directed by Joe Losey. Flanagan said it was "bad journalism and hysterical theatre."
