Light On Dark Water

Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, and the Media

I'm completely disgusted by the difference between the way the Occupy Wall Street protests have been treated by the media and the way the Tea Party was and is treated. If the furrowed-brow worriers about the future of journalism want to know why Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, et.al. came into existence, they need look no further than this. I have a great urge to go on at length about it, illustrated with numerous examples, but that would pretty much be a waste of time, considering that it probably wouldn't be seen by anyone whose opinion carries weight in those circles. So I'll content myself with saying it. There is ample, more than ample, material from the OWS gatherings to make them look at least as crazy as the Tea Party rallies. Conservatives of course are having lots of fun with that stuff, but the media are mostly ignoring it. That would be okay if they had treated the Tea Party with the same respect. 

Well, okay, just one example:


 

Envision the media reaction if someone had encountered a Tea Partier in a Nazi uniform. I'm not a Tea Partier, nor am I entirely unsympathetic to the OWS people. Both have, from their different points of view, raised cogent criticisms of the way things are going in this country; neither is perfectly reasonable or correct. The sheer unfairness of the disparity in their treatment by the media galls me.

Maclin Horton

7 responses to “Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, and the Media”

  1. Marianne

    I’m with you — it is terribly unfair and galling. Unfairness is something that’s bothered me all my life, and I truly don’t understand how those working in the media can look in the mirror each day and not feel at least slightly bad about what they’re doing.
    But maybe they’re aiming for the greater good, or something?

    Reply
  2. Mac

    It’s pretty clear to me that there’s a lot of unconscious bias among journalists who think they’re just reporting the truth when they’re really just following their prejudices. But also there seems to be a tendency now, has been for some time, on the part of some of them to embrace advocacy–I started to say “openly,” but it’s not really out in the open–it still poses as just-the-facts. I guess I mean “consciously”. It’s a real dereliction of duty, I think.

    Reply
  3. Daniel Nichols

    Or it may be as simple as the fact that the OWS protesters are largely young and attractive? The first photo I ran on my blog was of a radiantly pretty young woman being arrested. The Tea Party, on the other hand, is largely composed of old and unattractive people. Not too photogenic…

    Reply
  4. Mac

    I hope you’re at least half-joking!

    Reply
  5. Daniel Nichols

    No, I am not. Young people protesting anything are a lot more photogenic than old people.
    But they ARE being treated differently; I don’t recall you ever posting anything mocking the Tea Party, for example.

    Reply
  6. Mac

    If it were only a question of pictures, you might have a point. Even I am not cynical enough about the media to think their political views are based mainly on the good looks, or lack thereof, of the participants.
    Your second paragraph seems meant to be some kind of gotcha. But I’m not a journalist and this is not a newspaper that claims to provide a full and balanced source of information needed by citizens in a democracy. I’m under no obligation to be perfectly impartial and don’t claim to be. More importantly, my point in this post is about journalism, not about the protesters.

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  7. brad

    The tea party can be private because they have money. The OWS protesters are made out to look like a fool because they don’t have the mony to uy off the media or purchase their own press. A New Revolution Earth Social Media Site has been built to help support the occupiers and to transition the protesting to an online format. The Occupy Movement is our chance to create equality and this time it doesn’t have to be violence that creates change, we have the internet now :-). If we all get involved or at least participate we will grow and we really could make a difference…..http://www.rev-earth.org.

    Reply

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