Not surprisingly, I've heard from readers this morning about the Page A-1 story on the "tea party" protests planned today against too much government spending.
"It brings up my blood pressure to read about these right-wingers complaining," said one. "And it isn't even grassroots because it's all about what Fox News tells people to do. It's Astroturf."
This is something I've heard many, many times before, of course -- but it's interesting because it's coming from the left now. I can't count the objections I've heard from the other side of the aisle about the many stories in recent years about Iraq war or George W. Bush protests.
I'm a broken record, but the principle remains the same: I think journalists have to walk a very fine line with any protest coverage. Large events like these are always organized, and today's story makes that abundently clear, interviewing organizers of one local event expected to bring many participants.
They're news to a degree, but everyone -- participants and observers alike -- should remember that they're essentially designed to draw attention, primarily from the media. The numbers of people are the key, and this one looks likely to draw tons of people, regardless of how it's put together.
Put me down in the camp that thinks Web organizing actually does count as grassroots, though. It's just a lot more efficient than handing out fliers and going door to door. Of course political operatives work the Web system by posing as regular citizens. But these are just 21st-century twists on the old way grassroots used to be cultivated, and there's nothing inherently inauthentic about it to my mind.
"Astroturf" (get it -- fake grass roots?) is a different thing. That's when organizers encourage people to lie about how they came to write a letter or learn about a topic. It's following a script that you try to hide, and it's very annoying.
Thank you Derek
Your presentation of the issue on this blog displays a reasoned balance regarding prostests in general.
One could fairly and logically argue that your employer has been uniquely derelict in their "community responsibility" regarding the lack of coverage of the grassroots movement of tea parties which have steadily grown and expanded since Santelli's rant on CNBC in mid February. (there have already been over 800 such tea parties nationally....and at least 5 here in KC) Your recogntion of the left's protests and the paper's coverage of them during the Bush years thrusts a degree of balance on the complainant.....though he would likely deny it.
I understand and respect, as should all, the conundrum of providing fair, balanced coverage of each and every protest of ANYTHING. At some point judgement comes into play.