[Updated] Urgent Media Blast: DC Anti-War Protest Coverage

While c-span has a live feed to this event on their website, other news organizations have failed to even mention this event.

Link to Live Coverage

We need to target these "news" organizations and pound at their doorstep until they are forced to cover this event, do not forget that we, the citizens opposing this war, are the majority!

This is our time to be heard!

Please use this diary to list any media contacts that you have.

NYT Editor: [e-mail]
NYT News Coverage: [e-mail]
CNN News Tips: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form11.html?1
MSNBC: [e-mail]
MSNBC: [e-mail]

Update [2005-9-24 13:0:30 by chinkoPelinke]: Kudos to KingOneEye for providing this massive list of contacts, and to Timroff for compiling it: Tons of Media Contacts

It has also been noted in the comments that sending the same letter might prove less effective than drating your own, i will still leave mine up for inspiration. Thanks, for the recs, we really need to get on this.

I would like to know how it is that c-span is reporting the following:

"The ANSWER Coalition will hold the largest anti-war protest since the beginning of the War in Iraq. The scheduled speakers include actress Jessica Lange; former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA); Cindy Sheehan, mother of soldier killed in Iraq; Rev. Jesse Jackson, and others."

and providing live coverage of the event, and there is absolutely no mention of this story on your website.

When the majority of Americans admit to opposing this war, and believe that our foreign policy is headed in the wrong direction, your failure to report this massive gathering of the people of our country is a disservice to your readers and a disgrace to journalism.

Update [2005-9-24 14:2:0 by chinkoPelinke]:
It appears that some national outlets are starting to pick up this event, though most are simply leeching from the AP story. There are still some outlets that have yet to pick this up, most surprisingly the NYT.

Once we can confirm that we have our bases covered at the national level, we need to start targeting local news outlets. Let’s not forget that there are certain demographics that that get their news from local sources exclusively.

Below you will find a complete listing of FOX affiliates across the country
FOX Affiliates

here you can find a complete listing to all local stations owned by Sinclair, including 20 FOX, 19 WB, 11 ABC, 6 UPN, 2 CBS, 1 NBC
Sinclar Affiliates

and here you can find a complete listing to all local CBS News affiliates
CBS Affiliates

...will add more soon

•  done

  by TexMex on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 09:19:15 AM PDT

•  Recommended

  People need to get on this. It will be hard enough to compete for airtime with Rita, much less the corporate media bias.

  Here's some more email addresses.

  Concentrate on TV today, newspapers tomorrow.
  

  by KingOneEye on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 09:26:18 AM PDT

•  No, don't send duplicate letters

  There's nothing more transparent and laughable to an editor or producer than identical letters demanding coverage of something.

  Take the time to craft your own letters.  Though I'm not sure what good it will do.  The networks know darn well that there's a major demonstration going on, and for whatever reason they've decided not to cover it.  Still, they need to hear from us -- just do it smartly.

  by cardinal on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 09:26:48 AM PDT

•  ANSWER: Opportunists.....

  Rallies organized by ANSWER are kind of a "bait & switch". I went to the Anti Iraq  March in San Francisco in Feb. 2003. The gathering of people tp protest the coming war gave ANSWER a chance to feature speakers on Palestinian rights, Anti US Imperialism, Indigenous people's rights etc. The supposed purpose of the march seemed secondary to ANSWER.
       I will think twice before going to a rally they sponsor.

  PS. I happen to be a supporter of Plaestinian rights and other worthy causes but these should not be "showcased" in these rallies.

  by frandor55 on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 09:34:13 AM PDT

  •  Are you watching it?

    Thus far, they've stuck to the message pretty well.  There have been around 5 mentions of Palestine -- which is around 4 too many in my book -- but the overarching topic of every speech so far has been the war in Iraq.

    by cardinal on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 09:38:12 AM PDT

    •  the answer to ANSWER

      I didn't go to the march because i won't go to another bait and switch event. I am hoping to hear back from friends who went as to whether it was just another protest with weird white people with dreadlocks calling for a "proletarian revolution" or actually an on-message protest against the iraq war-- one that is so on message that conservatives who hate "communism" (or whatever ANSWER is advocating) can join in and feel at home too. that is the test.

      by pbsloop on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:17:16 AM PDT

      •  yep

        My parents are there, and will report back using the same criteria.  They are as anti-Bush as anyone could possibly be, and have been excited about the march for a while, but I know they'll wander over to the book fair or get back on the Metro if it becomes an Israel-bashing drum circle.

        by cardinal on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:32:36 AM PDT

        •  anti-semitism???

          it's amazing really that amount of attention that israel gets in all this. i think that there are definitely bad things happening there but there are lots of bad things happening all over the world. i wonder why isreal always has to be singled out and added onto these things. i wonder if it is anti-semitisim? if so, anti-semitism is really doing a good job derailing the peace movement and distracting us from the real problem.

          i organized anti-war stuff at my church and there was a guy who was really sympathetic and seemed pretty cool. but all of the sudden he gets my email and (i am not joking or exagerating) all of the sudden he starts emailing me about 4-5 emails a week saying how the holocaust didn't happen, how isreal controls the US and so forth.

          i have another  friend who actually went to isreal to see what was happening to the palestinians. he came away very much on their side but when he came back here and started speaking-- he got freaked out by the amount of anti-semitism of his "supporters" here in the US. he stopped speaking out because he felt like he was just fanning the flames of certain wackos rather than spreading the truth...

          sad

          by pbsloop on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 12:01:30 PM PDT

    •  unfortunately

      ...the balance just shifted. Last two speakers have been about Palestine. This is their pov, but it's not the point of the march.

      by DemocracyLover in NYC on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:31:43 AM PDT

    •  "Staying On Message"

      I don't agree with ignoring other injustices in the world to attract so-called centrist or conservative voters.  The hell with them.  They never are with us when it counts, and we should not try to kowtow to them.  The fact is that the illegal attack on and continuing occupation of Iraq, along with the death and destruction it has brought to hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis, as well as to American troops-is a grave injustice.

      I know the issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a complex one, but no matter what side you are on in this conflict, one has to admit the building of a wall through the heart of the West Bank by Israel, separting Arab families who have lived there for hundreds of years, and confiscating their lands- is an injustice.

      The brutal racism against the Palestinians is also an injustice, and the fact is that Jewish cabal in the Project for the New American Century was a prime mover of the attack on Iraq.

      So those who are afraid to say this, or to their Zionist allies who are in favor of this brutality, I say- one injustice does not excuse or lessen another injustice.  Those of us in favor of peace and justice have to stand up for peace and justice everywhere-in Iraq, in Palestine, in South Africa-everywhere.

      That is what the organization sponsoring the rally is all about- United for Peace and Justice.

      I am not a member of this group nor an Arab, I just am an American citizen who is an unbiased observer of the international scene and call it how I see it.  

      by Michigan Paul on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:14:38 AM PDT

      •  Defend the weakest

        I see it the way you see it, too.

        by Gabby1984 on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:53:43 AM PDT

      •  conservatives and moderates

        Pat Buchanan, Norman Schwatzcoff and the Pope (I am a bad speller) were all against the war. those folks and the people that listen to them would not dare to come but i would much rather march with them then the young sparticus league (dressed in black with red bandanas on their facce).. if we are trying to reach mainstream america we need to have a message and image that matches

        by pbsloop on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 12:05:55 PM PDT

  •  ANSWER Screamed and Moaned...

    ...and got a more or less unified event with the actual anti-war coalition, United for Peace and Justice. And, of course, they give UFPJ zero credit in their press release.

    In the name of a big tent antiwar movement, I think ANSWER should be tolerated, but they deserve no more than tolerance. You can't trust 'em a bit.

    by GreenSooner on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:33:52 AM PDT

•  You know if we really want to stop the war

  Why not get Labor on our side and call for a general strike!?

  I think its fine time we bring Labor in from cold.  If we want change in the country, then its going take power - the power people have in a capitalist economy is labor.

  Want a fiscal responsibility in government, want single provider healthcare, want equitable educational opportunities, want to stopt he war in Iraq - then strike.  

  Stop putting labor and productivity into the system.  

  just a thought...

  :-)

  p.s. want to cause global change - then organize a global general strike...

  by vtrob77 on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 09:46:19 AM PDT

  •  What would you think of a board of directors

    putting their corporation's (and thus their shareholders') resources into supporting the war? Don't like it? Then why is it right for labor unions to put their members' efforts into opposing the war?

    The proper purpose of a labor union is to negotiate—from a position of strength—better employment conditions for their members, and corporate America has a disgraceful history of suppressing them, often by falsely claiming they are fronts for radical political activists.  

    But if unions do what you are suggesting, those claims won't be false.  

    by Del C on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:50:46 AM PDT

    •  You didn't need to make your

      example hypothetical. Already "board of directors ...[are]...putting their corporation's (and thus their shareholders') resources into supporting the war.

      I think there are war related issues that affect labor...those KBR truck drivers with federal contracts aren't union, as an example.

      But Organized Labor would need to be "organized" to be able to develop a message that was distinct enough to separate them from the parts of a protest which are not within their
      usual objectives.

      Also the current administartion is so powerful in the "money flow" arena their suspension of worker rights deserves a protest of its own.
      

      by Bill Section 147 on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 02:04:20 PM PDT

    •  I have an ulterior motive being the

      machiavellian liberal I am...

      The war is just a focusing event, what I really want in single provider, universal healthcare; a form of a balanced budget admendment/strong legislation; and a universal pension system...

      :-)

      sorry to be so rovian...  but it obviously works!?

      by vtrob77 on Sun Sep 25, 2005 at 08:23:34 PM PDT

    •  oh and also

      Labor is plural; capital is elite =

      mind I consider myself more of a capital type person than a laborer, I just have a big blue heart... :-)

      by vtrob77 on Sun Sep 25, 2005 at 08:25:59 PM PDT

•  MSNBC has a link to coverage on their front page

  I'm going to write them a thanks for for this.

  by Cory Bantic on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 09:57:49 AM PDT

•  Some articles

  CNN

  MSNBC

  FauX news front paged a link to an anti-Cindy rally, but they do have an Associated Press rally story

  Washington Post has a story linked below the headlines.

  All is not lost.

  by Tomtech on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:00:48 AM PDT

•  Protest makes front page on MSNBC and FOX

  Around 12:45 I perused the broadcast news sites to see if the story is being covered and found it on the front pages of MSNBC and FOX. CNN, ABC and CBS fail to have it on the front page.  ABC has it nested in the US section.  There is no mention of it on CNN and CBS.  As I wrote to CNN, "that is pathetic."
  

  by talleulah on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:03:32 AM PDT

  •  Its On CNN

    I just looked at CNN and it is now on the Web page of CNN.  It is the same old AP story that the lazy reporters are using, but at least its on there.  Also remember we are competing with Hurricane Rita.  We're lucky to get anything today.  Maybe God is a Republican after all.

    by Michigan Paul on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:17:30 AM PDT

    •  Here It Is

      http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/24/antiwar.ap/index.html

      by Michigan Paul on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:18:24 AM PDT

•  local

  I used the "news tip" link on my local tv news Web site. They currently have nothing about it on their front page. I assume that means they wouldn't be covering it on tv either.

  I have 2 more stations to do here locally.

  by OLinda on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:08:03 AM PDT

  •  local 9 News - NBC

    I see it now on their web site, but rather than a headline under their "top news," it is in a smaller box down on the right under "world news" that has little links to stories. They have posted a link to the AP article that begins:

    WASHINGTON (AP) - Opponents of the war in Iraq rallied by the thousands Saturday to demand the return of U.S. troops, staging a day of protest, song and remembrance of the dead in marches through Washington and other American and European cities.

    More than 2,000 people gathered on the Ellipse hours before the showcase demonstration past the White House, the first wave of what organizers said would be the largest Washington rally since the war began. President Bush himself was out of town, monitoring hurricane recovery efforts from Colorado and Texas.

    
    

    by OLinda on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:16:48 AM PDT

•  My letter

  CNN has a story up on their site.

  <letter>
  Dear Sir/Madam,

  For your consideration:

  1. Whereas a significant and growing majority of Americans both oppose the war in Iraq and the administration's handling of it;

  2. Whereas several mainstream press outlets have issued mea culpas regarding their own failures to provide appropriately balanced and critical coverage of the lead up to the war in 2002 and 2003;

  3. Whereas the American people are your ostensible if not your actual consistuency;

  4. Be it resolved that failure by the press to cover popular protest and dissent by US citizens to the actions of their government in Iraq would constitute a grave failure to meet its obligations to inform its ostensible constituency of pressing matters of public interest.

  Commentary:

  Notwithstanding that siding with de facto power over against de jure power is a given of human nature, your mission, if not your dignity, should embolden you, given the current instability in the de facto power, to cover the efforts of the de jure power to exert itself on the matter of the war.

  So whereas discretion may be the better part of valor, serving one's own interests at the expense of duty is the worse part of cowardice.

  Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

  </letter>

  by hoipolloi on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:13:43 AM PDT

•  A few contacts

  Regional as well...

  
  CONTACT U.S. NEWSWIRE

  U.S. Newswire - National Headquarters
  Washington, DC 20045
  Phone: [phone] or 800-544-8995
  Email: [e-mail]

  U.S. Newswire - New York
  Phone: [phone]
  Email: [e-mail]

  U.S. Newswire - Los Angeles
  Phone: [phone] or 800-945-8845
  Email: [e-mail]

  U.S. Newswire - Chicago
  Email: [e-mail]

  U.S. Newswire - Dallas
  Phone: [phone]
  Email: [e-mail]

  KNIGHT RIDDER

  [e-mail]

  by Hail Ripley on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:20:04 AM PDT

•  suggest local emails

  Please send to your local ABC, NBC and CBS stations.

  You can google for their Web sites and email or call them.  Tell them to report it on the evening news.
  

  by OLinda on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:23:10 AM PDT

•  Anyone else a little pissed?

  What's this "more than 2000" crap all over the media? Yeah, more than 2000 --- more like tens of thousands, and more we cannot see.  LTE time. Damn, I'm angry. Screw the media.

  by MissAnneThrope on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:41:36 AM PDT

  •  ap

    It's just a few-hours-old AP story that they're all lazily reprinting (what?  the news orgs don't have Washington bureaus?).  I'm sure there will be updates when someone gets a good count.

    by cardinal on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:47:46 AM PDT

    •  Folks, read the story

      It's not talking about the crowd at the rally, it's talking about the "pre-rally":

      More than 2,000 people gathered on the Ellipse hours before the showcase demonstration past the White House, the first wave of what organizers said would be the largest Washington rally since the war began.

      They posted that long before the rally started, and they haven't updated the story.

      Yes, they should have something more current, and they probably will once its over. Let's not get our panties in a wad -- most media would (rightly) not consider this a big story until it proves itself, one way or another. We'll see what they say after it's over.

      And as for the crowd -- I've been watching it on C-SPAN, on and off since it began, and the crowd shot I just say looked much smaller than 100,000. May have been just the camera angle, but it looks like the crowd has dwindled significantly from earlier shots I saw.

      by bmaples on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:52:35 AM PDT

  •  yes ,

       I emailed msnbc earlier and told them to tell the  truth and do thier job, quit fudging numbers.

    live free or die*bold

    by Sophie Blue on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 01:21:51 PM PDT

•  The media contact list

  is now in dKosopedia (where we need to put all such reference material for future use).

  by bmaples on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:47:51 AM PDT

•  Yahoo news

  For what it's worth, Yahoo! has this article up in a fairly accessible spot - but it's being freeped.  1005 recommendations and dropping below 3 stars.

  by sarac on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 10:48:19 AM PDT

  •  re-freep

    the story UP! get it on the most popular list...

    by OldCoastie on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 01:49:53 PM PDT

•  THANK YOU

  Thank you for these MOST IMPORTANT links. Let's use them!

  by dynamicstand on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:01:17 AM PDT

•  thanks for the recs, i'm glad i could get

  some people behind this.

  I was tired of always having to contact news media about an event that they didnt cover 4 days after it occurs, so i thought it would be a good idea to pre-empt their bad journalism and blast them while the event is still going on.

  too often i've contacted outlets about a conyers event only to hear "really? and congressmen attended? ...well if we would have known in advanced, we surely would have had someone out there."

  by chinkoPelinke on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:13:17 AM PDT

•  FYI

  It's not quite "mass media", but Dish Network subscribers can see 3 hours of the rally on LinkTV (ch. 9410) and then coverage of the concert tonight on the Free Speech network (9415).

  I think DirecTV carries LinkTV too.

  Kudos to these 2 networks and C-SPAN.

  by freedom fried on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:32:48 AM PDT

  •  Direct TV

    Channel 375

    by UhClem on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 12:14:37 PM PDT

•  EMAIL TO CNN

  
  Here's my message to CNN...

  Cover the anti-war protest in Washington DC!!!  Why do you spend HOURS AND HOURS covering Michael Jackson's trial but you don't care about the views of thousands of Americans who are against the War in Iraq!?!?! No wonder the whole world is laughing at us.

  by lawstudent922 on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:35:53 AM PDT

  •  Their heads are so far in the sand...

    the collective media, that is.  It seems the major networks are missing a great opportunity to be at the forefront of a major news event.  Hundreds of thousands of Americans organizing civilly to oppose the Occupation of Iraq and the felonious mismanagement of this country by the Bush administration - and no major news coverage?  Surely, Hurricane Rita wasn't the disaster the media had hoped for - and Bush is so exposed for the fraud he is...  Is the media ever going to get it?  Or are they going to keep to the "hear no evil.  see no evil.  speak no evil." mantra over and over again?

    by msw1212 on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 12:08:13 PM PDT

•  I think we have to be happy

  that the media has not had a lot of coverage of the the endless speeches

  photos of the marches would be wonderful though

  by sara seattle on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 11:57:58 AM PDT

•  3:10pm Saturday - NO COVERAGE on NYTIMES.COM!!!!!!

  call the public editor
  212-556-7652 and complain.
  

  by Molee on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 12:15:40 PM PDT

•  Make these stories the most viewed and emailed

  Email these stories:

  http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/24/antiwar.ap/index.html

  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/politics/25protest.html?hp&ex=1127620800&en=6675a08558727f 8b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/24/AR2005092400852.html

  by muledriver on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 12:29:45 PM PDT

•  MSNBC and NYT are now saying

  "tens of thousands"--a little slow on the uptake, but this is making headlines now.

  by bibble on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 12:59:40 PM PDT

•  Just got back from the march

  and it was tens of thousands.  wall to wall people from every walk of life.  Great crowd, very peaceful and dignified.  The MSM can say what they want but I believe they have taken note of how many were there and who was there.  People from all age groups.  

  It was frecking amazing!!!!!!

  by pmob5977 on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 01:57:34 PM PDT

•  Media very well represented

  all along Constitution Ave. Both national and international satellite trucks.
  I was helping give away Bartcop signs and we were approached by NBC, ABC and NPR for interviews and copies of the signs. I had a very positive experience overall.
  We had 3,800 signs with photos of Bush and Cheeny and captions such as "Worst President Ever", "Liars", "Making A Killing", etc.
  People began to gather around 8am and all our signs were gone by 10am.
  Extremely wide range of people. Representing all ages, races, backgrounds and dress. Many children(mostly school age) and lots of well behaved dogs(mostly Labs).
  I only saw 2 anti protest types. Two young guys with Pro-Life messages of a piece of poster board. They were quiet and nonconfrotational.
  I'm from Virginia and often get tickets to NASCAR events from vendors and fellow workers. I've been to Charlotte and Daytona where they have 140,000 and 160,000 people in attendance. Using that as a reference I'd put today's crown at 120,000 to 130,000 people.
  BUT, many people were still arriving by bus into the late afternoon and AMTRAK service from Boston, New York, Philly and Baltimore was suspended due to "electrical power outages". We were informed that the folks on their way to the DC rally and stuck in Penn Station, etc, held impromtu rallies whereever they were. The crowd would have been considerably larger.

  by Gordon20024 on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 02:20:26 PM PDT

•  where in gods name?

  Faux News is running 10,000 protesters in their news-crawl thing, they say that's the DCPD estimate.  Where the fuck are they getting this? Are they just completely making it up?

  by mischaDC on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 02:25:34 PM PDT

  •  It's FOX

    Of course, they're making it up. But I'm sure they'll feature it prominently -- on O'Reilly and Hannity's show on Monday where they will, no doubt, once again villify Cindy and what she and "tens of thousands" of people believe.

    On CNN, there is nothing about the rally. All Rita, all the time.

    by lost on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 02:36:39 PM PDT

    •  CNN Reference = TV, not web n/t

      by lost on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 02:37:16 PM PDT

    •  yeah cnn's a letdown

      O well, we all had our hopes up (briefly) about the MSM, but I guess it's back to reality today.

      I know it makes no difference, but I emailed and called Fox News and left my rant with them. It seems they've misunderestimated again.

      by mischaDC on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 02:38:27 PM PDT

•  because...

  (the AP story says 100,000, because Police Chief Ramsey was asked about that number and said something like "yeah they probably got that.")

  by mischaDC on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 02:27:17 PM PDT

•  I just got back from

  the march. It was a big crowd, but not as big as the Woman's March. I did not see any trouble incidents but one policewoman was mean to me when I wanted to go down a street that had people on it to get back to my car. She said the street was closed even though it obviously wasn't from some direction. She would not let us through even though I showed a govt ID badge and said I had to get to my office. She said that wasn't true -- but it was -- because I had parked in the building. Finally got through after realizing the game is that they have to intimidate you a little bit before they concede anything. But really there was a much smaller police presence than I expected. Great signs and street theater. One think I need to look up is a guy dressed like Uncle Sam had a sign that said we need something like article 9 in the Japanese constitution in our constitution.

  by echo on Sat Sep 24, 2005 at 03:10:44 PM PDT