Hey, Media! Stop Blacking Out Progressive Protests

[kpete]

http://www.fair.org/index.php

Published on Friday, April 15, 2011 by Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)
Hey, Media! Stop Blacking Out Progressive Protests
by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)

A sparsely attended Tea Party rally in Washington, D.C., on March 31 in support of federal spending cuts received generous media attention. One report (Slate, 3/31/11) suggested there was "at least one reporter for every three or four activists," and a Republican politician joked that there might be more journalists than activists at the event.

An antiwar rally in New York City on April 9 was in some respects very similar. Protesters were speaking out on an equally timely issue (wars in Afghanistan and Libya), and connecting them to the budget and near-government shutdown in Washington.

The difference? The ratio of activists to journalists. The antiwar protest had thousands of attendees--and received almost zero corporate media coverage.

According to the Nexis news database, the rally was apparently deemed not remotely newsworthy. The local New York Times didn't cover it--though it did have time for the D.C. Tea Party rally (4/1/11). NPR's Morning Edition (4/1/11) and the PBS NewsHour (3/31/11) reported on the Tea Party rally, which was also mentioned a few times on CNN and previewed on NBC's Today show (3/31/11).

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http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/15-12

[karnac]

1. The novelty factor

Even in my area of San Francisco, the coverage is extremely scant. You might expect that from national corporate media, yet it is true also for local.

It's been done so often it's just expected. Sort of like if you live in an earthquake prone area, a regular quake that would be the talk of the town anywhere else, becomes a 10 second conversation at dinner time and a 3 line mention in the newspaper.

As for Berkeley I know for a fact there have been dozens there the past year but for the life of me i can't remember a single one.

I bet a pro-life demo in In Berkeley would really make the news.

It would just be so weird!

[proud patriot]

2. Liberal Media my ass

:kick: