Although numerous "news" sites throughout the country claim to be "balanced and fair", that is rarely the case. Some of those sites in Wisconsin are either blatantly misrepresenting the Madison protests, or selectively reporting facts so as to portray the protests inaccurately.
Yesterday evening, WBAY, a news service based in northeastern Wisconsin , reported that "a sizable number of protestors on both sides of the governor's budget repair bill brought their rally cries to Madison". After noting that the "crowd was estimated at nearly 70-thousand people" the report goes on to note that "supporters of Governor Walker chanted 'Pass the bill, pass the bill'" in a "sea of unity". They then quote several pro-Walker supporters who talk about "taking back our nation" and "the capitol building being dis-seized by union forces". They offer no actual estimates of the number of counter-protestors, no quotes from protestors, and no explanation of the complaints the protestors have with the bill. Had they reported facts, they would have needed to acknowledge that the Walker supporters were vastly outnumbered by the anti-bill protestors.
Channel3000.com, based in Madison and affiliated with WISC-TV, posted a story early this morning titled "Tea Party Members Rally on the Capitol Square: Walker Supporters Work to Make Voice Heard". They noted that Walker supporters "finally got their say" as "thousands came out to the Capitol Square to try to drown out the anti-Walker rhetoric". One Walker supporter was quoted as saying that "it's kind of amazing that a minority of the union bosses and some of the union activists are against this bill". Unfortunately, this "news" site does not bother to note that in fact many "union bosses", including those of AFSCME, the AFL-CIO, WEAC, other local teachers' associations, IronWorkers, Custodial Workers, W-AFT, United Steelworkers, Electrical Workers, and the Teamsters, all of which were represented by members at the rally on Saturday, are all opposed to this bill. Even unions exempted from the bill, such as the LaCrosse Firefighters Union, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, Madison Professional Police Association, Racine Police and Firefighters, Milwaukee's North Shore Firefighters, and Madison Firefighters are opposed to it as well. The article also fails to note the number of protestors and counter-protestors. It simply states that there were a total of 60,000 people, without clarifying that even the most generous Tea Party estimates place their numbers at about 5,000. There were no interviews with bill opponents done by the reporter, or at least none that were quoted. However, the article does admiringly mention the contribution of "Joe the Plumber" who was flown in to support Walker.
The LaCrosse Tribune's article this morning "70,000 people - on both sides - descend on Capitol" even misrepresents the breakdown of participants in the lede. The article notes that the "pro-labor protestors turned the Capitol into a campsite that's started to smell like a locker room", but then notes with relief that "supporters of Walker came out in force on Saturday" but neglects to mention the actual numbers. Later in the article it is implied that the Walker supporters were far more numerous than they actually were, when the writer states that "throngs of Walker supporters who arrived in Madison...carried signs with a fresh set of messages". The article oozes with bias against the bill's detractors. Unfortunately, the Janesville Gazette, from the town that elected Paul Ryan, picked up portions of this article , including the "locker room" smell bit and the claim that Walker supporters came out "in force".
Articles such as these that seem to intentionally misrepresent the protests are dishonest and harmful. They deprive the citizens of our state of accurate accounts of the situation in Madison, and convey an incorrect picture to the rest of the country and the world about what is really happening here. While Walker continues to claim that all of Wisconsin supports him with the exception of the union workers at the Capitol, the facts suggest otherwise. With the massive funding of the Tea Party, the sponsorship by the inaccurately named conservative American Majority, and their impressive ability to organize, it says something significant that they were able to bring only about 2,000 Walker supporters to their official demonstration at the Capitol on Saturday.
Finally, I feel very grateful that the protestors have behaved beautifully throughout the week. Despite a few false reports to the contrary, there have been no arrests this week, and no episodes of violence. Maintaining a peaceful protest prevents the conservative media and pundits from dismissing our protests as "riots" and makes it harder for them to label us "thugs". Their inability to report on violence forces them to cover the issues at hand instead - even if they cannot quite compel themselves to do it with complete accuracy.