For those complaining about news coverage....

[MichiganVote]

Some of you won't appreciate my comments in which case flame away or go away but here's the deal...

There are between 2 and 3 million people displaced from their homes in this country at this time. Its like a really, really serious matter to displace this many people in the short space of three weeks. We have lost a big chunk of our energy source and the gulf coast is a shambles.

The fact that the media is not covering an anti-war demonstration in D.C. of a half a million people to your satisfaction does not mean that you are being ignored.

People are often asking what the difference is between the demo's of the days of VietNam and today's protests re: Iraq. So what is the decided difference that I note today?

People in that day DID NOT WHINE! Think about it...

Thank you

[melody]

1. I was with you up till the end

And then --

>People in that day DID NOT WHINE! Think about it...

Horseshit. They whined all the time. People are people. And no, our parents didn't have to walk eight billion miles through snow to get to work.

[msongs]

2. half a million people protest in DC? not likely unless you count the

entire population of the city as protesting.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/clark2008.ht

PS - it there was half a million the media would have increased coverage. It was mentioned on local news radio as a demonstration with thousands...accurate if not detailed.

[Suich]

7. Check out Will Pitt's blog

http://blog.pdamerica.org/
Scroll down to third posting.

[Emit]

3. Uh, huh?

An anti-war protest of this size is equally as important BECAUSE of those displaced Americans, and BECAUSE of Bush & Co.'s failure to Katrina. Besides that, 24-7 cable MSM news coverage of Katrina and Rita isn't enough for you? I will whine all I want to get that coverage, thank you very much, while we still have an opportunity to do so.

[MichiganVote]

14. I maintain that the causes you espose are deeper than one president

Your fight for justice or equality will not end with Bush&Co. Its a long, hard fight you have signed on for. One day of little or no coverage of this march will not change that. Buck up, its gets harder as you get older.

[Emit]

31. I still maintain that it is equally newsworthy

There is an important connection between the ineptness of Katrina response on the part of Bush & Co. and this war protest today (which has been planned for some time now). With regard to Rita coverage, a great deal of what I witnessed in the days leading up to landfall included bashing the state of LA government (Dems, women and blacks) and the 'welfare citizens' and revering the Texas GOP (male and white) and 'working citizens' for their 'successful' evacuation (which wasn't all that succesful in reality).

24-7 hurricane MSM new coverage on ALL three cable news channels isn't enough for you? Can we not have more than one news topic? Can we not multitask?

I appreciate your sentiment that this effort will last longer than Bush, although I don't care for your condescending attitude and your little lesson in how I should learn to protest. It's not just one day of lack of coverage. It's been 5 years now, with corporate-owned MSM neglecting a majority of voices.

[MichiganVote]

37. What you call condension, others call experience but I don't mind

Its not as if my attitude will change you. You may not like my message and you may even choose for whatever reason not to like me. But I'm just as sick of the last five years of folly as you.

So where do we really differ? In our assessment of what the media could, would or should do on this day?

The protests today are not about the media. The protest is the war.
One issue at a time.

[Emit]

46. Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in a

Kung Fu rerun?

"...Can you take the pebble from my hand, grasshopper?"

The media brings us the 'news' and average Americans won't see the protest without the 'news' coverage. So it is about the media, too. Without appropriate coverage, we're just preaching to the choir. Ya' think this many thousands of people in America, and across the world today, did this just for themselves?

Anyway, thanks for trying to impart your wisdom. No harm done. Perhaps you should try out your wisdom on some younger grasshoppers, however, as I'm a bit too old and impatient for this game. ;-)

[MichiganVote]

51. Now who is being condescending. And yes, I think people protested today

b/c of their beliefs. Because if they were hoping to be on the nightly news on a Saturday during a national disaster I'd say they were going to be disappointed. The media is a business. Today the march did not sell, tomorrow it may.

[Emit]

58. Yes, of course

people protested today because of their beliefs, but that is not what I was refferring to. And they didn't protest just so they could run home to see themselves on teevee.

It's about a message. A message that others need to see, and because the MSM chooses not to cover, then it doesn't get seen. We have every right to be critical about the lack of coverage, as it is a sly form of censorship disguised as 'opinion;' it's lying by ommission.

If this were the summer after the invasion of Iraq, I'd say I'd have no problem with your comments here. But it's not, and a lot of dangerous changes have occurred that threaten our Democratic Republic in the last 4 years.

We may not have a chance tomorrow to protest against these totalitarians, especially if we continue to have the magnitude of storms like Katrina and Rita, which FEMA and this (mis)administration will likely use to further erode our civil rights and the rights of the states.

By the way, my brother and his family (five kids from a blended marriage) and numerous other friends and family members are included in those displaced people you referred to in the OP. I have family in NOLA who haven't been able to get back to their homes, family who fled to Edinberg from Houston and family in FLA who are wiped out from all the hurricanes---AND they all were so looking forward to seeing the Anti-War protesters and Peace marchers descending upon the White House today and later this weekend!

I make no apologies if my last post seemed condescending. Are you really that surprised? Your 'wisdom' seems a bit misplaced somehow, as does the manner in which you attemtped to exact your message, IMHO.

[MichiganVote]

60. I'm seldom surprised on DU! Best of luck to you and your family members

Crazy times

[I Have A Dream]

65. I agree with you, Emit.

The only way the average person believes that there really is a valid anti-war movement is by seeing the media show the rally as it really was and giving the story the attention that it deserves for the number of people who attended. Cheney said last week that Cindy Sheehan was a clown (or some similar thing) and that there really wasn't an anti-war movement. If the media doesn't cover it, then it comes across to the average American as his statement being true. Each person who showed up at the rally was a vote towards saying that yes there indeed is a real anti-war movement. The whole thing was about the message to the world.

Thank you for your efforts.

[bluestateguy]

4. I sort of agree

I do think the protestors 40 years ago were a bit more thick skinned. Not only that, but it was harder for people to ignore the war back then, what with having the draft and all.

[MichiganVote]

17. The draft was certainly a catalyst and yes the media was not owned

by fewer than 10 major companies resulting in undeniable bias today. The protestors became thick skinned as more of their friends and family died. They sharpened their message, "Hell no, we won't go", and stuck with it, coverage or no.

Thank you for your comments.

[Cleita]

5. It seems they could give it five minutes. It is legitimate news

and to completely ignore it or to gloss it over as a few malcontents isn't practicing good journalism, IMHO.

[MichiganVote]

19. When you have your heart in something, there isn't enough air time

in the world to satisfy. I'm only pointing out that its the march that matters, not the media.

[Marlie]

6. Katrina & Rita

Yes, this is an awful tragedy and yes, the coverage should be
pretty much non stop however, there are other things effecting
people's lives happening every day too and need to be reported. How
many of our soldiers have died within the last couple of weeks and
not a word. How must their families feel? Sort of like they
never even existed. MSM can walk and chew gum at the same time,
can't they? It's their responsibility to keep their viewers up to
date on everything that is happening - the internet does, why
can't they?

[goclark]

10. The people that I know from NO would love to see the Anti -War

Protest.

That would give a lift to their day.

Finally, people are looking out for them and their children.

[MichiganVote]

23. Its the march, not the media that matters today. One battle at a time.

[Field Of Dreams]

8. Not to bash anyone here or who participated today...

but I don't think the protestors of yesteryear ran home to see if they were on the nightly news. Regardless of how much or little media attention was paid, they still made a difference whether during a mass demonstration or through smaller individual acts each day -- just like all the things DU'ers do on a daily basis.

Keep doing what you are doing. The media is fickle and always will be.

[KyndCulture]

12. Fickle? NO the media is owned, lock stock and barrel by this admin.

Get a grip. Nobody ran home to see if they made the news, that's SO not what this is about. It's about getting the propaganda OFF the TV that sits in front of Joe "On the fence" republican and getting the TRUTH to them so they know what's going on is wrong.

Fickle? hardly. Criminal is more like it.

[ragin_acadian]

30. Kyndculture, tsuki here.

raging_acadian gave me permission to post since my password would not work in DC.

I participated in the protests 40 years ago, and this is the same kind of BS we heard back then, protesting to see ourselves on TeeVee. I cannot believe its making the same old tired rounds.

[KyndCulture]

32. Hey Tsuki... yep, exactly. WTF? I don't get that attitude.

as someone who works tirelessly for media reform, I'm flat out fucking PISSED at what I witnessed today with our propagandist media.

And to say that the protestors just wanna get on TV is beyond stupid.

[ragin_acadian]

40. The media is incapable of covering more than one story at a time.

They are too top heavy with overpaid "analysts." They do not have the resources. Rather than have their crews out, they rely on local coverage and "pick" it up.

Local coverage is also limited. Many TeeVee stations today are being manned by teenagers in high school, running the studio cameras, sound, etc.

They are also tied into corporate advertising to pay for the talking heads. So they cannot offend the advertisers.

Disasters and missing white women are safe. Controversial subjects lose people

[MichiganVote]

41. I don't disagree but the protests today are against a war, not the media

[KyndCulture]

44. And you can't see how the 2 are related?

[MichiganVote]

49. I think you know the answer to that.

[ragin_acadian]

62. But it is a controversial topic that can cost both viewers and advertisers

[Marlie]

13. Fickle?

Boy are you giving them the benefit of the doubt here.

[Benhurst]

16. No, we complained back then, too. Let's face it, the media haven't

been free in this country for a long time. Corporate propaganda has been going on for a long time.

[MichiganVote]

24. I think some of them ran home to see if they were wanted by the Po-lice!

At least it was easier with a mere three major news stations. To have had a spot on any of the national news shows for any amount of time was a big deal. Today's causes all want a biggie size when it comes to coverage.

[nonconformist]

9. I don't think anyone thinks that there shouldn't be any coverage

of Katrina and Rita.

I think that what people are upset about is that the protest in DC got hardly a MENTION. Most of us would have been thrilled if the media even spent 5% of it's time today covering the fact that hundreds of thousands of people convened at our nation's capital to protest the president and his wars. Just 5%.

[A-Possum]

11. Thanks for some realism

There was never any way this was going to get coverage on this particular weekend, the landfall of a major hurricane 4 weeks after a catastrophic hurricane. It's just "bad luck" and unavoidable, assuming the protest could not be postponed.

Same luck that took the hurricane east instead of over Houston, same luck that made the hurricane weaken from cat 5, same luck that hits LA again...it's just not very realistic to expect the national attention to move to an organized protest of any kind on this day of all days, not matter how good or important the cause.

Personally, I would have made an announcement last week that due to the dire circumstances on the coast, the protest would be rescheduled. But, whatever. It was hopeless to expect coverage.

On edit: nobody paid any attention to Cheney's knees, even if they did mention them.

[teach1st]

15. If over 100,000 marched today in DC in support of Bush and Iraq

If over 100,000 marched today in DC in support of Bush and the Iraqi invasion, would the networks and cable have given it more time?

[LWolf]

21. That's a no-brainer

and it puts the idea that our dedicated journalists were too worried about hurricane ratings, er...I mean victims, to a well-deserved rest.

[MichiganVote]

25. How much time do you think that the nighly news gave to the Martin

Luther King march/speech back when? Not much then, much more since...

Patience

[teach1st]

28. I distinctly remember that the Vietnam War protests...

..received widespread media coverage.

So do others:

http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/Vietnam/ThreeImages/brady.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. Not in the early days

they were ingored as well

PATIENCE

[teach1st]

38. In the early days as well...

It wasn't always positive. Public opinion didn't turn against the Vietnam war until much later in comparison to Iraq. However, some of the protests back then were much larger than today's.

I'm just trying to make a point. There was media coverage of anti-war activities early. It's part of what turned me on to politics.

1. “250,000 Protesters Stage Peaceful Rally in Washington; Radical Group Routed in Riot,” New York Times, 16 April 1967.
2. “Throngs to Parade to U. N. for Anti-War Rally,” New York Times, 15 April 1967.
3. “Anti-War Rally Brings Violence to N. Y. Streets,” Chicago Tribune, 16 April 1967.
4. “Thousands March in Peace Rallies New York, San Francisco Protests Orderlyl King Asks Bombing Halt,” New Haven Register, 16 April 1967.
5. “War Protesters Need Guidance—“Washington Report”, (editorial), Chicago Tribune, 19 Nov 1969.
6. “Peaceful Legions Coverage on Capital; The Mood-Give Peace A Chance,” New Haven Register

[MichiganVote]

39. But today, this weekend, we are comparing two major storms that

have displaced millions of people. Using today as a basis is not a fair comparison.

[teach1st]

42. I agree. But we go back to my original question..

...if more than 100,000 had marched today in support of the war, would the action have been given more time?

I can multi-task. I want all the news. I have been posting the demonstration news on a teachers board, and the reactions from other teachers have been: "Why haven't I heard about that?"

It's early. I think the demonstrations will be given media play after the Rita news loses its immediacy.

[MichiganVote]

47. It takes time, I agree. It isn't the numbers that matter, its the heart of

those who participate. As they say, if you build it....

True or not, there are many people across the country who were truly shocked at the response of all levels of government following Katrina. It resulted in some pretty primal fears on the part of people. Those of us who know how shoddy this administration has left America, are only too aware of the bullshit of this administration. I suspect that part of the news coverage of the response to the hurricanes is meant to reassure the populace. Like or not, the news is a business and it attempts to sell what people want.

So today they didn't sell a march, tomorrow they will. IF---people don't give up.

[KyndCulture]

45. Early days? This war didn't start yesterday! nt.

[ragin_acadian]

63. I've been patience for 40 years. Enough of patience. It's just

worse.

[Mr_Spock]

18. ...and we polled ourselves here at DU and KNEW Rita would dominate

I hope nobody is surprised that we were right on our DU polls - Rita DID dominate the news today.

Surprise, surprise!

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. I am not saying don't cover the hurricanes, but really, 2 minutes plus

some footage of the march would have been lovely and would not have seriously cut in to the hurricane coverage.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Peace Rally SUPER THREAD:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4870788

Save this nation one town, county, and state at a time:
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/electionreform.htm

[Deep N RedLand]

22. Three Things.

1. Yes, we are being ignored (as usual) by the MSM. While I don't expect this event to equal hurricane reporting, even a brief mention should be in order on every outlet, though it seems for the most part the crickets are chirping. The fact is the hurricanes are just a convenient excuse for the MSM. Do you really think if it wasn't for it, they'd be giving us any more coverage? It would be something else, like missing middle-class white people that would be reporting on instead.

2. What others (or you) may consider whining, I call letting our voice be heard and expecting being at least to be allowed that voice in the media, even if they rather not present it.

3. I heard the question raised over the last few days over the timing and how the critics would blast us for having these events while the gulf is being hit, even though the demonstrations were planned months before Katrina and Rita and logistically it would have been very difficult to change everything at the last minute. Though knowing how the RW attack machine is, while I have no doubt they will use this against us, it's dismaying some of us here are helping them along.

[MichiganVote]

27. Make up your mind then, what is your prime protest? Media or the war?

[KyndCulture]

50. Until the media wakes up the protests against the war are moot.

Don't you see that? We need graphical pictures of dead iraqi's all over the TV, we need people to see the crimes being committed in our name. This is how viet nam turned around and this is how we will turn this around. People don't pay a damn bit of attention to the logic of the story, they pay attention to the PICTURES.

With the media owned by 5 corporations one of whom is also a war profiteer and the pentagon blocking pictures of reality we cannot get this message to the rest of America to wake up the sheep.

The protest against the war and the media are one in the same. We MUST have both.

[MichiganVote]

52. Actually I think the internet news sources and blogs are just as important

[KyndCulture]

54. They are now.

But we are usually talking amongst ourselves. We are the people who need convincing that the war is wrong. It's the reality TV watching, fox news sheep who need the slap in the face. Truly. Until we can start to reach out to those people, the people who don't even KNOW the truth, neither protest will be successful.

[MichiganVote]

57. All the protests are successful. None of them will end this mess today.

The percentage of people who are now opposed to the war, even the way this war is fought is rising.

Realistically, assuming George Bush is in office for the remainder of this term, Iraq and the war are going to continue in some fashion. So some would ask, why bother protesting?

Because we can and we don't need the media's permission to do it. The media will always reach for the most immediate story with the highest ratings. It is actually missing the whole picture here but that's show business in Bush America.

[Trillo]

26. "DID NOT WHINE!" -- MichiganVote

I doubt if people are that much different. "Whining" is something Freepers love to say.

Another way to look at your stats. 3 million versus 1/2 million, a ratio of 6 to one. There was no way protest coverage reached that ratio, it seemed to me more like about 60:1 or even zero.

Corporate TV news is simply marginalizing the group they do not want to be heard, "whining" or not.

Perhaps people in those days whined just as much, but their "whine" was limited to a smaller circle of acquaintances: today, with the Internet and other media like weblogs, the "whining" is more visible and audible to a much larger group of acquaintances.

I'm going to remain silent when I fail to pay the Corporate TV news for next years news programming subscription, however. In fact, I won't be buying ANY news. Sheesh, with all the commercials they have, they should be paying us to watch thier raving madness.

[MichiganVote]

34. All people whine. Not all people protest a war, march in a city

surrounded by troops, with a transportation system probably deliberately put down and among strong voiced opponents. But make the march, make the war, your area of protest. Not the media.

The whole world both wants and deserves to have their song sung out of a little black box that is televised throughout the world. Its the most powerful medium in the world. You want your cause, this cause to be special? So do they.

In the 60's and 70's the friends and family members of those in the streets were dying like maggots in a place called Nam'. They were hanging from trees, bound and butchered by bigots. There were just as many things wrong, very wrong, with this country then as now. They didn't have time to whine b/c they were too scared.

Sure, the media could have, and we can even say they should have, offered more time. Today they didn't. So what?

If you're really committed, work for it again tomorrow and the next day and the next.

[ragin_acadian]

64. Are you whining?

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Bravo and there is something else

the early days of the Nam protests, the press was not there either, live with it, they won't until we stop the country, PERIOD

It took those protests four years.

Disclaimer I did not grow up in the sixties, I just know the history

Second disclaimer, the first demo I went to was outside Horton Plaza, it was cold, it was rainy, it was miserable and only 20 of us were there, at most. Today there were over 2000 people... this thing IS growing

[MichiganVote]

35. Exactly right.

[FrenchieCat]

36. Rita ain't Katrina....

and the media's attempts to rehabilitate what's left of George Bush via a natural disaster that is not turning out to be what they had anticipated ain't doing it for me!

[BigBearJohn]

43. What are you saying? The media can only cover 1 major story?

"People in that day DID NOT WHINE!" ????
Sounds to me like your whole thread is ONE BIG WHINE.

[MichiganVote]

48. Like I said, you no like the message, don't read it.

But this has been a pretty good discussion and you're as welcome as anyone else to your opinion.

[BigBearJohn]

53. The same thing could be said about you and your compaint about those

who are supposedly "whining" about the lack of press coverage -- if you don't like it -- don't read it. Instead, you started a whole thread about it, instead of just letting people air their feelings about the lack of press coverage. You are just trying to suppress communication.

[MichiganVote]

55. Bear, I expressed an opinion on a message board. I don't have the

power to suppress communication. I regard people expressing frustration about the media, the war, A.N.S.W.E.R or any other matter on this message board as good, as healthy. I presented a view, however, of the broader picture that is today. Not tomorrow, not next week or even next month. Today, the business called the media, covered hurricanes and their aftermath rather than a march in D.C. (and any other area).

My message: Deal with it, don't whine about it. Why? Because the message of the protest today was for a bunch of young guys or gals in a rotten place called Iraq and thousands of people showed up for them whether they saw it on the fucking TV or not. That counts Bear. It counts...

[BigBearJohn]

56. Ok, you make some good points. However, having the media cover

it would give MILLIONS the chance to bear witness. That's "my" point.

[MichiganVote]

59. I understand your point and I agree with you. No doubt the protestors

in Britain whose media is not reporting on hurricanes feel just as frustrated, if not more so. But if George Bush or Karl Rove or Rummy think this is the end of this round, they are very mistaken. One day, the fat lady will sing...

Till then, I'm just glad that people were there for the son's and daughter's of America today. Lot to be proud of among dem's or progressives today.

[BigBearJohn]

61. I understand your point and agree 100%