Marching orders

The press reveals its convictions in coverage of war and abortion rallies

By Tim Graham

It's not often that the nation's capital witnesses two major rallies within four days of each other. On Jan. 18, opponents of a U.S. war against Iraq drew tens of thousands to the national mall to protest. Four days later, another crowd of tens of thousands congregated for the annual March for Life to mourn the 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand.

The "peace" rally was mostly angry, with podium speakers lamenting the supposedly destructive impact of the United States on the world, lacerating TeamBush with terms like "greedy imperialist murderers." Former attorney general Ramsey Clark, the leader of the rally organizers, announced they would campaign for President Bush to be impeached. The Jan. 22 pro-life rally struggled to reach "the top of the mountain of repentance," as Sen. Sam Brownback told the crowd. He prayed for everyone to love their opponents, to love the women who made mortal choices. President Bush phoned in from St. Louis to congratulate the throng for "perseverance and your devotion to the cause of life."

Media coverage of these two events was starkly different, both in tone and space. The hometown Washington Post started promoting the anti-war rally five days before it occurred. The day after the rally, the Post had three anti-war stories on the front page, and two broadsheet pages inside stuffed with rally news and photographs. (The paper gave another half page to anti-war protests in San Francisco.)

On Monday, anti-war protesters were still being displayed in front-page photos. By contrast, the March for Life wasn't mentioned until the day of the rally—in passing, on a page stuffed with the concerns of abortion advocates. On Jan. 23, the Post's front page carried pictures of abortion protesters—from Planned Parenthood's mid-day rally, with a crowd estimated by Reuters at 150. The tens of thousands of pro-lifers were represented on the front page of the Metro section with an angry protester testily pointing a mitten as he told off two college students in front of the Supreme Court building.

Many media outlets blurred the population of the abortion protests, so that the public couldn't tell which rally attracts tens of thousands, and which attracts tens. Associated Press' morning headline was "Abortion Critics, Supporters Set to March." NBC's Lester Holt began the day by reporting "Rallies are scheduled in many places including Buffalo, New York." NBC then ignored the assembling crowd in Washington, instead highlighting the "Army of God" protest in Buffalo—about a dozen strong—applauding the murder of abortionist Barnett Slepian five years ago.

CBS reporter Jim Axelrod picked up the networks' sudden attention to Buffalo on Jan. 22, calling the Slepian shooting "an example of how abortion is redder than any other red-meat social issue in America."

As Republicans promise to use their majority status to ban human cloning and partial-birth abortion, they know from harsh experience that one of their major obstacles is a national media that regularly underlines in every article, caption, and inflection that the survival of Roe v. Wade is a passionate, "red meat" issue to them.

—Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center

1 posted on 02/15/2003 6:32:06 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

2 posted on 02/15/2003 6:36:36 AM PST by Rocko

Keyword POETHARPIES, should read poet-harpies - i.e. the vain, ungrateful poet celebrities who who dissed our First Lady.

3 posted on 02/15/2003 6:37:31 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity." -GWB)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Hopefully, one of these days we will be able to see the money flow from the cash cow Soddomite to those who direct and pay for the peace marchers and those in the media who play up the staged events.

4 posted on 02/15/2003 6:44:54 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Stamp out Freepathons! Stop being a Freep Loader! Become a monthly donor!)

Amen. We'll need journalists who will tell the truth about these people, first. I sent letters to over 200 journalists re. the people sponsoring these rallies and the inaccurate perception of American attitude our reporters were fostering (both home and in Saddam's home) with their unbalanced promotions and coverage. Had one local editor call and talk, and listen. I gave him ANSWER's weblink, asked him to please do some research.

One Hawaiian editor said thank you. The Village Voice guy sent me Chomsky-DNC propaganda...in caps. (^:

5 posted on 02/15/2003 6:51:44 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity." -GWB)

Please add local or national links re. press coverage of today's rallies - with the accurate headlines:

"Dueling rallies for war, peace", The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), Feb.14.

Thanks to all the Freepers who are standing up to these meanspirited mobs, and for America and our troops today!

6 posted on 02/15/2003 6:56:26 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The highest paid call girls in the history of the world." - Bob Dornan re. the UN)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Blatant left wing media bias BUMP!!

7 posted on 02/15/2003 7:07:03 AM PST by cake_crumb (Without dictators, what reason would we have to keep the UN?)

8 posted on 02/15/2003 7:23:01 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The highest paid call girls in the history of the world." - Bob Dornan re. the UN)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Abortion is the "reddest" of the "red-meat" issues in America because it is the most bloody.

Texas Wasn't Kuwait
Bill

9 posted on 02/15/2003 7:48:55 AM PST by WFTR

Peace advocates lead farcical parade , David Warren - Ottawa Citizen:

Today is peace march day. Around the world, and especially across Europe, perhaps millions will march in solidarity with Saddam Hussein; while the people of Iraq continue to live under one of this world's most murderous and vicious dictatorships, glumly anticipating American liberation, but fearing they'll be let down once again.

Chic exponents of abortion on demand will accuse President George W. Bush of wanting to kill Iraqi babies; socialist proponents of public theft will accuse him of trying to steal Iraqi oil; and people whose safety and freedom have been guaranteed by U.S. military protection all their lives, will chant that "Amerika" is a fascist country.

It is a scene of human depravity, worthy of description by the Hebrew prophets.

10 posted on 02/15/2003 9:25:37 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The highest paid call girls in the history of the world." - Bob Dornan re. the UN)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

11 posted on 02/15/2003 11:57:24 AM PST by bluesagewoman

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

The stupidest of all will be those who scream "No blood for oil" and then drive back to their comfortable homes.

Texas Wasn't Kuwait
Bill

12 posted on 02/15/2003 1:03:01 PM PST by WFTR

To: bluesagewoman

Sick, isn't it? - but not surprising.

13 posted on 02/15/2003 1:07:21 PM PST by Free_at_last_-2001 (is clinton in jail yet?)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

14 posted on 02/15/2003 8:04:27 PM PST by miltonim

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