July 25, 2000

Early coverage of the upcoming protests at the Republican and Democratic

national conventions has followed a familiar pattern: Mainstream media are

stoking fears about the potential for violence in Philadelphia and Los

Angeles by rewriting the actual history of police brutality at last year's

anti-WTO demonstrations in Seattle. In its place, media are developing a

mythology of dangerous protesters who, for unspecified reasons, violently

overpowered police.

"It is widely agreed that the Seattle police got out-foxed by better

organized protestors trying to shut down the World Trade Organization

meeting last year," reported NBC's Fred Francis in a story about the

conventions (Nightly News, 7/14/00). Francis went on to describe activists

who attended the "violent" Seattle demonstrations as a "battle-tested" force

"better trained than the LAPD for street violence."

Widely agreed? Francis must have either missed or discounted the American

Civil Liberties Union's recent report on the Seattle protests.

"Demonstrators [in Seattle] were overwhelmingly peaceful," wrote the ACLU.

"Not so the police."

According to the ACLU's 87-page report, "Out of Control: Seattle's Flawed

Response to Protests Against the World Trade Organization," the City of

Seattle's response to the WTO protests was characterized by "unwarranted

restrictions and outright assaults on citizens and on their basic American

rights." The "draconian" violations of civil liberties committed by Seattle

police and officials included widespread use of "chemical weapons, rubber

bullets and clubs against peaceful protesters and bystanders alike";

numerous "individual acts of [police] brutality"; the suppression of free

speech rights; hundreds of improper arrests; and intimidation and "brutal"

abuse of arrestees. (See

http://www.aclu-wa.org/ISSUES/police/WTO-Report.html .)

NBC, ABC and CBS all ignored the release of the ACLU report, as did CNN. The

Seattle Times is the only major American newspaper to have covered the

ACLU's findings (7/5/00).

Yet the media haven't forgotten Seattle-- mainstream reports on the upcoming

convention protests consistently refer to them as follow-ups to Seattle, and

frequently ask whether authorities in Philadelphia and Los Angeles will be

able to avoid a similar scenario. But which scenario?

One ABC World News Tonight report (7/23/00) asked what lessons Philadelphia

police have learned from Seattle, and how they will be applied to the

convention. According to reporter Jim Sciutto, Philadelphia police observers

in Seattle saw protesters "at times playing to the television cameras" by

feigning injury. Sciutto's report features, without rebuttal, a Philadelphia

police lieutenant claiming that at the sight of a camera, activists are

trained to "fall down and start screaming and yelling whether you hit them

or not." ABC's report made no mention of any substantive allegations of

police brutality in Seattle.

When riots erupted in Los Angeles on June 19 after the Lakers won the NBA

Finals, several news outlets discussed the random acts of vandalism as

though they were comparable to the protests planned for the Democratic

convention. "Los Angeles officials hope that the convention crowd will

exercise more self-restraint than the Lakers crowd," reported the NBC

Nightly News (6/20/00). The CBS Evening News (6/20/00) made the same

comparison, reporting that officials promised "much less access for

potential troublemakers" at the convention than there had been at the Lakers

game. CBS voiced skepticism however, adding, "but that's what they said in

Seattle.... And some of those [protest] groups have already announced

they're coming here."

What emerges from this coverage is an image of activists as a paramilitary

mob preparing to take to the streets to frustrate and discredit the police.

This distorted view has been helped along by the three major networks'

failure to discuss in any depth protesters' critiques of the conventions.

CBS mentioned that Los Angeles anarchists would protest in order to "shine

the spotlight on economic injustice" (7/10/00); NBC (7/20/00) noted that the

protesters' message is "simply that the political parties have been taken

over by big money interests." Neither network featured any further

examination of the activists' political positions.

Demonizing activists and ignoring police brutality may imbue police

departments with a sense that they can operate with impunity-- or at least

without fear of serious scrutiny from the press. This media whitewashing may

heighten the risk that citizens assembling to speak out at the conventions

will face police violence.

ACTION: Please contact the media and urge them to provide more balanced

coverage of the protests at the Republican and Democratic conventions than

they did of last year's protests in Seattle. Acknowledging the ACLU's

findings about the growing problem of anti-protest police brutality would be

one way to improve coverage. Taking activists' politics seriously would be

another.

For more information on the protests planned for the Republican Convention

(7/31/00-8/4/00), visit http://r2kphilly.org/ . For info on actions at the

Democratic Convention (8/14-17/00), visit http://www.d2kla.org/ .

CONTACT:

NBC Nightly News

Phone: 212-664-4971 or 202-885-4259

Fax: 202-362-2009

mailto:Nightly@nbc.com

ABC World News Tonight

Phone: (212) 456-4040

Fax: (212) 456-4297

mailto:netaudr@abc.com

CBS Evening News

Phone: (212) 975-3691, (202) 457-4385

Fax: (212) 975-1893

mailto:audsvcs@cbs.com

As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously if

you maintain a polite tone. Please cc fair@fair.org with your

correspondence.

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Nearly every article I have read in mainstream newspapers about the protests planned for the conventions has taken the opportunity to try and rewrite the events of Seattle and D.C. . Some have even gone so far as to state that protesters threw excrement at the police alongside molotov cocktails, with no actual evidence.

It seems as if the mainstream media is participating in a buildup of the protests and a portrait of the protesters that will justify any of the 'nasty ' pictures of police overreacting and violently attacking demonstrators. What scares me even more is that the media outlets most of America rely upon for their information has begun to paint any expression of our first amendment rights as a potential terrorist activity. When that is not possible because of the actual events, it takes opportunities to rewrite the events at a later date to justify future militarization of police forces.

Thank you FAIR and indymedia for trying to bring some accountability to the corporate press.

The corporate-political power has reacted to the current protests with the application of nazi laws and order. Is "humanity" ever going to learn from their past? Only time will tell.

I went to the washington DC protests, I got informed, listened and spoke to many people about many things. I have always viewed our society as sick and disturbing, even from an early age. To be around other people who want to help change the way "it" works made my world seem brighter.


When I came back to cow hampshire, everything was different, my friends (ex-punks) now borderline nazis condemned much of what "we" did at the protests as criminal, immature and uninformed. I could take that from them because they are ignorant anyway. What shocked me was talking to "normal" people who seemed intelligant and open minded. In my opinion even the little guy with the family, the kids etc. would resist this sort of change in our society because the tv has been brow beating us for so long we would lose our sitcoms, pension, washing machines, drive thrus and all of the other "things" that fill the hole in the wall that pink floyd sung about.


The reward punishment system is deeply rooted and most people will sit back and raise an eyebrow and forget about any injustice or say the protestors deserve it for breaking windows or causing people to think.


In the words of mojo nixxon "we need an armed insurrection, but until that comes I'll vote"

later daze and good luck to all in LA

I declare WAR on the oppressors and their supporters. Those who are willing to sacrifice are the true patriots in the continuing battles for freedom, justice and human rights. Death to the Nazi pigs and their running dogs.

I've been talking to many peaceful folks who are coming to LA for the DNC. Most are vegitarians and vegans, genuinely longing for change, for a fertile future to leave as legacy for their children's children. Although I do agree that "anger is an energy" and that sometimes it's essential in producing change, I also encourage everyone to keep in mind that the FBI, cops, and CIA routinely hire provocateurs to try and instigate inappropriate violence at protests. For sure there will be FBI and undercover cop agents at the protests. So, trust your instincts and your heart. Mainain the peaceful flow when appropriate.

The demonstrations against the Demublicans and Republicrats are certainly a great thing. They are part of the struggle for a better world, and as such I wholeheartedly support those who are protesting the empty charades of the lookalike corporate puppet political parties.

I was listening to coverage of the demonstrations at the GOP convention, and one thing really bothered me. This particular report focused on people who were involved in the protests, and also are of the opinion that there are no good choices in the realm of electoral politics. For them, I have two words: "Green Party!" followed by two names "Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke!"

The Green Party movement in the U.S. is growing by leaps and bounds. We offer a true alternative to the big-money "politics as usual" of the political corporations known as the Demublicans and Republicrats. Our candidates are people like Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke, who have long track records of working for the common good, standing up for the oppressed, and protecting the environment.

The critics say that the Greens don't have a chance against the two big political machines. I say that the Greens DO have a chance--if enough of "We the People" decide to support and to vote for Green candidates.

Those who have been voting need to vote for their hopes and dreams (the Greens!) instead of their fears (voting for "lesser of two evils" Democrats). Those who have not been voting need to get to the polls in November and help elect Nader, LaDuke, and many other Greens who are running for office.

Go We Go!

The rush to judgement by political authorities to repress any dissent does alarm and frighten me.

It is not, however, in any shape, form, or manner the equivalent to the Nazi era of bruality, deportations, and mass murder. A16 protesters were given fines. That's quite a meaningful distinction.

We can describe the danger of starting fires with lighting matches next to gasoline pumps.

Our response, it seems to me, to the excessive rhethoric of fear and demonizing of protesters should be calm, reasonable, and honest discourse. Mirroring their irresponsible rhethoric will only escalate the wrong sorts of behavior.

Thank you for your time, energy, and efforts to improve the world.

I got a night stick jammed up my ass it hut but i liked it