Anti-Obama rally in Atlanta was a bust, but the WSJ played dumb

[Raffi Ella]

This article is from media matters. There are some interesting comments at the link.


Anti-Obama rally in Atlanta was a bust, but the WSJ played dumb

August 17, 2009 1:30 pm ET by Eric Boehlert

Right-wing organizers hoped 15,000 people would attend a Centennial Olympic Park rally this weekend to yell and scream about health care reform. In the end, just one-fifth of that showed up.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Atlanta police estimated the crowd in Centennial Park at about 3,000 -- far short of organizers’ goal to draw a crowd of 15,000

Yet in its write-up of the event, the Journal forgot to mention how the crowd was disappointingly thin. The Journal drew no inference from the fact that organizers failed so badly in bringing out a larger crowd. Instead, the Journal pretended the modest event was significant and, of course, newsworthy; that it was important to document how a relatively small crowd of Obama critics showed up in a park to wave signs.

It's funny, but back in 2003, I don't remember the Wall Street Journal's news team devoting stand-along articles when anti-war protesters gathered in small numbers (let alone large numbers) in cities across the country. Instead, I think the Journal's current coverage highlights a longtime newsroom edict: angry conservatives are newsworthy, angry liberals are annoying.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200908170015

[groundloop]

1. You gotta laugh at the horrible timing of this non-event

Same weekend as the Braves played the Phillies, same weekend as Paul McCartney's concert.

[Raffi Ella]

3. Smart aren't they?

the one thing they did right was have it in plain sight of CNN. Made Don Lemons job easy, just walked across the street for this bIg NewZ story!!1

[Raine1967]

5. And Steely Dan!

I actually watched the clusterf*ck from my computer.

There were prolly 3k -- and most were sitting in Lawn chairs... The lies that came out of the mouth of Oxendine and Kathy Cox NEED to be used for commercials.

[glitch]

2. What makes MM think the WSJ was playing?

Or were they just being nice?

[Cobalt-60]

4. who cares what the WSJ says?

Once upon a time it was a respected publication.
Now that it's been Murdocked it isn't fit to line a parrot cage.