American Autumn (or, 'If we don't report it, it will go away')

[Oniya]

So.  Last Saturday (9/17) a group of protestors set up camp in New York City.  Eighty people (at last count) have been arrested during the non-violent assembly, intended to be the voice of the hitherto 'silent' majority - the 99% of Americans who don't have their own personal lobbyists on the Hill.  In the past week, I've seen nothing on my local TV news about it, even as news about things like Spain's last bullfight, Texas's new policy on prisoner's last meals, and an Italian couple trying to evict their 41-year-old son get airtime.  (I'm not kidding - those are the last three 'non-local' articles on the news station's feed.)

The protestors are still there.  For a week and a half, about 300 yards off Wall Street (they were barricaded off from setting up at the Bull), they've been engaging in a classic sit-in.  Ten days, and barely a whisper on mainstream media.  If the same number of - I don't know - WBC protestors showed up somewhere, it would make headlines on all the major feeds.

I guess the revolution really won't be televised.

[Avis habilis]

Not when you're revolting against the conglomerates that own the networks it won't.

[Torch]

What kind of numbers are we talking about here?

From the little I've read, they expected 20,000 protesters, and perhaps 1,000 showed up on 9/17?

I would suppose that after a week that number has dwindled severely.

And to be honest, there's very little cohesiveness and a lot of scattered ideology in exactly what these folks are protesting. Yes, I get the general idea, the evils of corporate greed, yada yada, but the very first picture I brought up showed someone with a sign that read "Bail out Earth and the 200 species that go extinct everyday."

Ummm......okie dokie. I thought this was an unemployment protest, but....whatever. 

And then I read that Lyndon LaRouche showed up, so I had to go find a happy place.

[Oniya]

There have been at least 200 protestors there every day. 

No, it's not a huge number (I don't think they ever expected 20,000, but there were a couple thousand there the first weekend) - but the fact of the matter is that a one day Tea Party protest of similar size on 3/31/11 had loads of reporters in attendance, and was reported on extensively.  I can see 'overlooking' a small protest that lasts a day.  Maybe even one that only lasts a couple days.  But a week?

EDIT:  Current estimates are 500+ people.

[Torch]

There have been at least 200 protestors there every day. 

No, it's not a huge number (I don't think they ever expected 20,000, but there were a couple thousand there the first weekend) - but the fact of the matter is that a one day Tea Party protest of similar size on 3/31/11 had loads of reporters in attendance, and was reported on extensively. [/i]

I would suspect that had more to do with the timing of the protest, just before the looming goverment shutdown of April 8th, than the Tea Party agenda itself.

There are news reports being circulated, I've found them on CSMonitor, The NYU news website, CNN and others.

But it's not going to be the lead in for the nightly news on any network, not for a couple of hundred people, even if it has been a week.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Considering that the amount of revenue the media units make is dependent on commercial air time sold they aren't going to devote time to something that won't get attention and if the prevailing corporate philosophy is to not make the people important by showing them on TV you know darn well they won't get coverage.

Look at how the media shied away from the whole Rupert Murdock scandal.  Fox news spent more time on his testimony and getting a pie thrown at him that it did on the harm that was done to people because of the hacking. 

Follow the money and follow the influence and you'll see who gets the air time. 

[gaggedLouise]

Well, the Winter Soldier event was ignored by the media too (except for some local papers in Detroit where the hearing took place - their angles were rather critical and suspecting but they did report). Nixon and Coulson didn't ignore it though: they were intent on smearing it.

And the March 2008 Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan event seems to have been ignored or buried in small notices by most of the U.S. mainstream media too, excepting some clearly liberal and anti-Bush titles like the Washington Post and Slate (at least if Wikipedia and some American friends of mine are to be trusted). It was more reported on by non-U.S. media, but I don't remember hearing about it at the time either, not even on the BBC who did report. I suppose it was buried by all the news on the primary elections.

Interest, personal or corporate, doesn't lie. Some news or news angles are just considered too touchy, too disturbing to publish any reporting on.

[Asuras]

I don't know about the rest of America, but here in New York - after the earthquake, after the hurricane evacuation, after the hurricane itself, the 9/11 anniversary, the police checkpoints all over Manhattan on the 9/11 weekend, the UN protests that shut down midtown east...I think we've just stopped paying attention here.

[gaggedLouise]

Just read in a daily here that the core group of the demonstrators/sit-iners had made a march up Broadway and near Union Square they were halted by the police; after a "violent altercation" about eighty of them were arrested. Some of them are filing complaints saying the police beat them up or infringed on their rights to express their opinions.

edit: Hmmm, possibly the article I read was referring to the very same arrests as Oniya's original post. Read it on the web and I now notice the paper article is actually two or three days old - it has no "published on" date but you can see the comments go back two days. I was confused because the OP seemed to imply that the arrests had taken place near their camp and that the protest action was still in progress, while the newspaper article actually was placed (online) so as to seem like fresh news. I have heard nothing about this in other news sources here though. Asuras may be right that other headline news in NYC have left the local media and people a bit exhausted.

[Oniya]

That was on the 24th.  The people arrested have been released, many after just 48 hours, which is (I think) the longest they can hold you without pressing charges.

[Callie Del Noire]

Surprised that THIS didn't make the media more deeply.

Occupy Wall Street Protesters Maced / Pepper Sprayed by NYPD Police

(here is the story behind it)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20111813-245/anonymous-exposes-info-of-alleged-pepper-spray-cop/?tag=contentMain;contentBody

[Oniya]

The media didn't cover it, but I've seen articles in less mainstream blogs - including a statement by one of the girls who got maced (and I learned that liquid antacid followed by a water rinse can be used as a treatment for mace.)  Apparently MSNBC is going to have someone at Liberty Square at 8PM tonight.

[Callie Del Noire]

The media didn't cover it, but I've seen articles in less mainstream blogs - including a statement by one of the girls who got maced (and I learned that liquid antacid followed by a water rinse can be used as a treatment for mace.)  Apparently MSNBC is going to have someone at Liberty Square at 8PM tonight.

Okay.. I can understand using Mace against rioters (I had to survive boot camp's tear gas.. it wasn't fun) but without due cause.. it's merely abuse of power.

And, upon consideration, a good justification for banning the laws against tapping cops working.

[Oniya]

I tracked down the girl's account of it - take it with whatever amount of salt you'd like.  The site it's on has a definite slant towards what we used to call 'counter-culture'. 

* Oniya suspects she's showing her age.

  http://bostonreview.net/BR36.5/jeanne_mansfield_occupy_wall_street.php

[Callie Del Noire]

I tracked down the girl's account of it - take it with whatever amount of salt you'd like.  The site it's on has a definite slant towards what we used to call 'counter-culture'. 

* Oniya suspects she's showing her age.

  http://bostonreview.net/BR36.5/jeanne_mansfield_occupy_wall_street.php

Just because you're on the outside looking in.. doesn't mean the 'Man' isn't kicking you in the face.

I try to find a balance between the sides, and what little I could see seems to indicate they were at most being vocal and already under control. Hence my confusion about why they were maced. The lead up is a bit lacking and the angle is less than optimum so I'm a understandably wishing for more info.

[Oniya]

I've got a couple more videos from other angles that were posted to the Occupy Wallstreet website.

[noembed]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMoKsZp5iao
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf6m_w7K8XM[/noembed]

[Asuras]

There's a longer cut of the protests the other day here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/sep/28/occupy-wall-street-anthony-bologna?newsfeed=true

The crowd seems a bit belligerent. Also, you'll notice that an intersection (University and 12th, a block from Broadway) was blocked. I don't know if it makes sense for a few hundred people to shut down a major Manhattan thoroughfare without authorization, which is probably why the police were there blocking them off.

I also don't know if it's reasonable to use mace in that situation, although the crowd did seem a bit belligerent in the video. I don't know, but there is an inquiry.

[Oniya]

I have to admit, a certain part of me wishes I was able to be there.  I've done the standard writing to representatives, staying informed as much as I can about local political issues, voting 'early and often' (that is to say, in every election and on every issue that I can) - and I still don't feel like I'm really doing anything.

[Asuras]

I can understand their frustration.

I have half a mind to go down to Wall Street to talk with these guys just to see what they think.

[Oniya]

From what I've seen on the live feed, they're very open to that.

[Trieste]

Interesting take on it published a couple days ago: http://www.thirteen.org/metrofocus/news/2011/09/observations-of-a-jailed-journalist/

It's also about the arrests on the 24th.

[Oniya]

Thanks - I've shared that article now.

[Trieste]

You have "The Other 98%" on Facebook reporting that NYC Transit Unions are joining Occupy Wall Street. They are also calling for a large march on the 5th of October.

CNN's homepage: Stock market, double amputee runner, US-born cleric killed, TV 'retro babes' aren't role models, decrease of hybrids...

... my favorite headline on the front page is "Who invented the 'booty call'?"

Nothing about OWS. *shrugs*

[Oniya]

There are apparently 1,000 RSVPs for the October 5th thing - not sure how accurate that is, or how many are 'regrets'.  There's also a rally planned for DC later in October.  Look up 'Enough is Enough march'.

[Trieste]

What is going on? It's one thing to say, "Well, the uh, corporate interest blah blah blah" about news companies regarding a smallish protest, but when you have Susan friggin Sarandon and the transit unions involved - and you still don't report it?

I find it very strange. Maybe they should get Casey Anthony over there, just to attract the attention.