Hooray For Democracy! Shame On The NY Times.
It’s no secret, or at least it shouldn’t be, that our views about what is happening in our country, and the world, are shaped by the narratives we are exposed to everyday. We search endlessly for news sources that we consider trustworthy; and historically, these have been anchored in what has come to be known as “mainstream media.” But mainstream media in recent years has become an increasingly unreliable indicator of what is actually happening in our world. FOX “news” is the best example of what happens when an arguably legitimate news source that tens of millions of Americans rely upon morphs into a straight-up propaganda channel for right-wing disinformation.
Perhaps even more disturbing than FOX’s unceasing devotion to verifiably untrue information disguised as news, is the way that mainstream media, which over decades has earned the trust of so many Americans, currently chooses to downplay or completely ignore certain news that might be looked upon unfavorably by a fascist regime like the Trump administration. The Washington Post has already lost hundreds of thousands subscribers, as well as senior editors and reporters, over WaPo owner and Trump ring-kisser Jeff Bezos’ decision not endorse Kamala Harris over fears of angering Donald Trump. Now it appears the NY Times is bending into a preemptive do not offend the King, rear-entry position.
Exhibit One: While final numbers are not all in yet, initial data indicates that in last Saturday’s national “No Kings” protest in more than 2,200 cities, somewhere between 4-6 million protesters turned out, representing almost 2% of the U.S. population. These protests brought together record numbers of Americans eager to exercise their First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly, in opposition to Donald Trump’s massive and ongoing abuse of power. Ironically, even some FOX affiliates were willing to describe the national turnout as “over 5 million across the United States” ("according to organizers,” of course).
But the data is not just “according to organizers.” You can look at the initial raw data here, although the final numbers will quite possibly be in excess of these numbers. Even at these initial estimates, this national assembly of Americans eager to have their voices heard will go down as the largest one-day outdoor protest by Americans in our country’s history, so far.
Nevertheless, the New York Times chose not to feature any story about the nationwide protests or the record attendance. Instead, on the day after the protests, they buried the event(s) in paragraph 7 of their main story all about Trump’s military parade. Sure, the protests got mentioned, technically. Even worse, when I went to read the Times’ “Reader Comments” attached to that story, in order to get a feel for reader sentiment regarding the lack of coverage, I found that the comments were closed after only 247 comments were posted. Seriously?
So here’s the good news, in fact the great news: Despite the NYT’s effective burial of the story, it wasn’t only the huge numbers that were newsworthy. More importantly, it was the energy and enthusiasm of the massive crowds across the country. It was a giant tsunami of positive energy and optimism, driven by neighbors seeing their neighbors, in small towns and big cities across nation, ready to stand up for their democracy, willing to be seen and heard, despite the potential personal risks. Yay Democracy!!
I attended the local rally in my hometown of Santa Rosa CA, where what has been estimated by our local newspaper at 4,000-6,000 protesters gathered along a four-block stretch. It wasn’t just impressive, it was exhilarating. It was glorious. It was a positive vibe that can hardly be described, and more. It was because we could all see and feel, viscerally, that despite what efforts mainstream media may undertake to avoid news unfavorable to the Burger King, We the People ultimately have the numbers, the passion, and a deep commitment to showing up for our democracy. To take risks for our democracy. To hold our ground for our democracy, until the traitors to our constitution eventually fail, which they inevitably will, by their own hubris.
There were attempts to scare people into not participating in these protests, including the assassination of a State Senator and his wife, and the wounding of two others in Minnesota. There was a follow-up reminder this morning — where apparently, unidentified “peace keepers” apprehended a potential mass shooter, by shooting him in the hand, while accidentally killing an innocent bystander. As tragic as these events were, they were pretty much the only glitches in a massive, abundantly peaceful national protest.
Grim reminders, to be sure, of the personal risks that any protester takes when exercising their first amendment rights in a time of great polarization and outright approval of violence by the Commander-in-Chief. And yet, also a wonderful reminder of how well-organized and essentially without incident the nationwide protests were. One of the main organizers of the national event, Indivisible.org, deserves great credit for a job very well done. Their volunteers were highly visible onsite, helping direct activities and reminding people of how to protest peacefully, and not get baited into conflict by anti-democracy instigators.
Before arriving at the No Kings protest, I, like many, many of my friends and neighbors, felt beyond weary of the seemingly unending stream of daily bad news about an awful president and his unqualified sycophants and power-hungry allies. Yet, unexpectedly, what I experienced this past Saturday rejuvenated me, filled me with renewed optimism, and reminded me that it’s not the headlines that matter, it’s the people, WE, the people, who are ultimately the ones who decide what kind of country we are going to live in. Tyrants will come and go, but our democracy will stand.
As the well-known ballad from a not-so-distant past reminds us,
“This land is your land, this land is my land,
From California to the New York Island,
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream Waters
This land was made for you and me”
Amen.
(To participate in extended discussion and a vote, this article also appears on my Daily Kos page)