Flooded by e-mails and calls from people around the
country, the New York Times today has printed a new
article under the headline “Rally in Washington is Said to
Invigorate the Antiwar Movement.” This article reflects
the magnitude and power of the October 26 March on
Washington to Stop the War Against Iraq and the growing
antiwar movement. This sharp turnaround in Times coverage
is the result of mass anger against a biased report
published on Sunday, October 27.
2002.10.30
Flooded by e-mails and calls from people around the
country, the New York Times today has printed a new
article under the headline “Rally in Washington is Said to
Invigorate the Antiwar Movement” [ http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/30/politics/30PROT.html ].This article reflects
the magnitude and power of the October 26 March on
Washington to Stop the War Against Iraq and the growing
antiwar movement. This sharp turnaround in Times coverage
is the result of mass anger against a biased report
published on Sunday, October 27.
On October 27, the New York Times published an article
titled, “Thousands March in Washington Against Going to
War in Iraq” by Lynette Clemetson [ http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/27/politics/27PROT.html ], claiming that the
demonstration was only in the “thousands” and featuring a
sub-headline that said the size of the protest was “below
expectations.”
The organizers of the demonstration, the
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism,
http://www.internationalANSWER.org), were extremely
pleased by the massive number of people filling the
streets in the 25 solid blocks of marchers encircling the
White House, as were all who attended and supported the
march.
The organizers, who had never been contacted by the
reporter from the Times, attempted to have the article
corrected on Saturday night when the first electronic
edition appeared. The New York Times refused to speak with
them and stated that it stood by its story.
The New York
Times piece was flatly contradicted by even police
estimates and the Washington Post which stated that the
number of demonstrators was above 100,000, and by
organizers and other news media, including Pacifica, which
put the turnout at over 200,000.
While it is not unusual to experience biased reporting
about progressive activities in the corporate media, the
transparently false representations of what took place on
October 26 as reported by the Times stood in stark
contrast to what participants could see and feel for
themselves.
This created a wave of outrage which was
communicated rapidly to the Times in the form of e-mails,
phone calls, and letters.
On Monday, October 28, FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In
Reporting) sent out an Action Alert
(http://www.theexperiment.org/articles.php?news_id=1879) which
was recirculated by many people and organizations urging
people to contact the Times and National Public Radio
whose reporter Nancy Marshall stated that the turnout was
under 10,000.
For ADDITIONAL REPORTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS of the October 26
National March in Washington DC, joint action in San
Francisco, and actions around the world, and for
information about how you can get involved, see
http://www.internationalANSWER.org.
To register your opposition to the war, Vote No to War!
and become a volunteer for the PEOPLE’S ANTI-WAR
REFERENDUM at http://www.VoteNoWar.org.
Author: A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism)
News Service: ANSWER activist announcement
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