Hundreds of Tax Day Tea Parties were held in various cities throughout America today.
Depending on what T.V. station you watch, what newspaper you read or what online magazine you visit, the Tea Parties were either a successful demonstration by concerned Americans against big government or a frothing anti-Obama rally by a ravenous mob of ignorant right-wing wackos.
Here are snippets of reports of 5 media outlets and my humble observations of each:
Armed with signs reading “no taxation without deliberation” and “stop bankrupting America,” tens of thousands of people spent national tax day at organized “tea party” demonstrations across the country, protesting what some view as excessive government spending and bailouts.
CNN reports what the protesters themselves say they are doing and does not impugn their motives, but rather takes them at their word.
Good job.
Whipped up by conservative commentators and bloggers, tens of thousands of protesters staged “tea parties” across the nation Wednesday to tap into the collective angst fueled by a bad economy, while President Barack Obama vowed “a simpler tax code that rewards work and the pursuit of the American dream.”
Anyone who spends any time watching MSNBC, in particular Chris Matthews, Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow, knows where this network is coming from.
Even the Huffington Post couldn’t help but notice Rachel Maddow’s vulgar and demeaning (to herself, of course) coverage:
There is only one thing in all the world worth noting about the people behind these things, and it is this: everyone involved is apparently unaware of what the term “teabagging” means.
As you will see, this is not the case with Maddow and [Air America's Ana Marie] Cox.
“Now, no laughing off set or I will lose it!” begged Maddow, “I’m only barely making it through as it is.”
She said this BEFORE Cox joined the segment. From there, it just got better: “Who wouldn’t want to tea bag John McCain?” Cox asked. “This is all part of the midterm strategy,” she added. “You know it’s going to be teabagging 24/7 when it comes to the midterms.”
And it shall be. Of this you can be certain.
I watched Maddow two nights ago and she must have used the term “tea bagging” or “tea baggers” to refer to the Tea Party protesters at least two dozen times.
This, my friends, is what has become of the network of Tom Brokaw, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley.
Goodnight, Chet, indeed!
Chants like “Give me liberty, not debt” and “Our kids can’t afford you” were heard across several U.S. cities Wednesday as anti-tax “tea party” protesters took to the streets to voice their opposition to big government spending.
Despite it’s enthusiastic coverage of the Tea Parties, Fox, like CNN, does some down the line, straight reporting here.
Good job.
Although organizers insisted they had created a nonpartisan grass-roots movement, others argued that these parties were more of the Astroturf variety: an occasion largely created by the clamor of cable news and fueled by the financial and political support of current and former Republican leaders.
Fox News covered the events all day with reporters and hosts at the scenes. Neil Cavuto, a Fox host, and Michelle Malkin, a conservative contributor, headlined the protests in Sacramento while Sean Hannity broadcast his show from the protests in Atlanta.
The near bankrupt Times has largely ignored the Tea Parties. And when they do talk about them, it is usually merely an excuse to take shots at Fox News and question the authenticity of the protests and the protesters.
Like MSNBC, only sans the shameless and juvenile vulgarity, the Times has an agenda: Namely, to discredit the protests and provide cover for Obama.
The Times new motto should be “some of the news that’s fit to print.”
The demonstrations mark the culmination of a movement spurred in part by a February rant from CNBC personality Rick Santelli that generated more than a million views on YouTube – and even a White House response.
As you might recall, Santelli – surrounded by traders in Chicago – complained that Americans were being forced by the Obama administration to “subsidize the losers’ mortgages” and called for a “Chicago tea party” to show his and others’ anger.
Though not as bad as MSNBC and the Times, CBS still can’t help itself. It spends as much or more time questioning the authenticity or sanity of the protests and protesters as it does reporting on the protests themselves.
At least this time they didn’t manufacture documents to defame those they do not like.
Well, there you have it.
Do you think I am biased myself?
I want to know.
Do you have any other examples of lopsided coverage of the Tea Parties?
Share the links.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Diana // Apr 16, 2009 at 11:37 am
I think this is a pretty fair view of what was coming from networks. But I will say I watched snippets of FOX news just go off in a tirade about the tea parties asking if “other news media would cover it at all, cover it ‘fairly’, ” and they did seem to be hammering the idea that this was against Obama completely and absolutely gushing over it .
I do wonder whether President Obama is excited to see grassroots organization working. If nothing else, his community organization idea has certainly given people the [confidence]? to plan something out and seeing people react with something less than apathy is actually motivating (at least to write this comment!)
2 John D. // Apr 16, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Apparently you didn’t see the girl reporter from CNN interview a guy with a young child on his shoulder and she wouldn’t let him get in his answer to her question. She just started ranting about how Fox News was putting on the Tea Parties.
So to answer your question about whether you’re bias, either you are or you didn’t see that particular interview. CNN did say that she was telling it like she seen it.
3 Peter // Apr 16, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Diana,
I think Fox News coverage is a reaction to the mainstream media’s dismissal (the Times) and derision (MSNBC) of the Tea Parties.
Fox feels it needs to counterbalance the bias on the left with a little right wing bias of it’s own.
It’s unfortunate that now even the media are taking sides.
By the way, a big part of the left’s mockery of the Tea Party movement is to suggest that it is funded and run by corporate, big monied interests and is not really a grassroots operation at all.
4 Peter // Apr 16, 2009 at 3:04 pm
John,
I did see that.
That was a single nutjob reporter at a local CNN affiliate.
It was shameless, rude and vulgar.
I was assessing the fairness of CNN’s written, online coverage of the Tea Parties.
I thought it was fair.
5 Barbara Wales // Apr 17, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I was at the DC Tea Party and participated as did so many proud Americans. We represented all of what makes America — white, black, Hispanic, retired, working, young, old, conservative, liberal — but all us of wanting government to stop taking control. We — the people — this is our government, and we want it back. this group could have been the group you see at a Breast Cancer Walk, a group of people at your local church, a group that is organizing a fund raiser for their kids’ schools. .. . We were typical Americans. Please, no one, be so ignorant as to disparage the reason why we congregated to make our statement.
6 Sandy // Apr 17, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I’m tired of being told I’m wrong about my views becuase I’m white or middle class and have no apathy for the lower classes or minorities, the people at the Tea Parties were trying to have their voices heard, instead of being dismissed because of color of financial status. It’s time th the slight group started being heard, and our politicians started listening.
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