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Touting the tea baggers

By David Brauer | 04/16/09

Because I know some of us keep score...

The Star Tribune put the Capitol's 2,000 teabaggers (police estimate) front-page-and-center, while the Pioneer Press relegated the news to its inside local-section front (downplaying the turnout as "several hundred").

If you're looking for historical comparisons, the Strib also put the April 2006 pro-immigrant marches on the front page — police put that rally at 30,000 to 40,000, by the way — though I don't know placement.

The Strib devoted more ink to the teabaggers (about 1,000 words plus sidebars, compared to roughly 750 for the immigration folks), but a lot of the former was national wire copy.

March 2003 protests in advance of the Iraq War, which drew at least 8,000 people in Minneapolis, also made the Strib's 1A.

Two years later, a second-anniversary demonstration that "drew more than 1,000 protesters" landed on 14A. Two years after that, a photo of the fourth-anniversary protest made the front page, with a story on the metro section front; organizers claimed 4,000 people marched, but police provided no estimate.

Comments (7)

Submitted by Joel Rosenberg on April 16, 2009 - 10:41am.

Oh, absolutely -- since, I like, I *totally* control what everybody vaguely associated with conservatism and/or a desire to not indenture our grandchildren to the Saudis says, so you, like got yourself a deal, along with the rest of the hippies, dude.

Submitted by Brian Simon on April 16, 2009 - 11:51am.

While I use the term amongst friends to amuse myself & others, I expect a little more from journalists - even in opinion pieces and blog entries.

Having said that, the 'baggers did bring it on themselves... "Hey, lets protest govt spending by dumping tea bags!" Huh?

Lastly, you're not *the* Joel Rosenberg, are you?

Submitted by David Brauer on April 16, 2009 - 12:12pm.

Joel - keep it in your holster, please.

While my intent was not to impugn - honest - I won't use the term again. It detracts from the larger point, and I'm fine with your remonstration.

That said, hopefully others would listen and do same.

Submitted by Joel Rosenberg on April 16, 2009 - 12:13pm.

When I'm wrong, I'm wrong; I predicted that the above wouldn't get through moderation. Glad I didn't bet the farm.

Brian Simon. Depends on what you mean. If you mean the Jewish convert to Christianity, hell no; if you mean the SF writer, self-defense-rights activist, radical moderate, husband and father, well, yeah.

Submitted by Brian Simon on April 16, 2009 - 12:35pm.

Joel- I enjoy your work; though I'm more familiar with the SF stuff than the rest...

Submitted by Joel Rosenberg on April 16, 2009 - 3:46pm.

Thanks, Brian.

Submitted by Ed Stych on April 16, 2009 - 9:38pm.

A good comparison of media coverage might be how abortion-related rallies have been covered. A quick search found that "several thousand" attended January's pro-life rally at the Capitol. I don't know where the Strib placed that story, but I think those kind of rallies don't usually get front-page play.

The media often makes decisions based on how bored journalists are with a subject ... and how bored journalists "think" their customers are with a subject. That's why abortion-related rallies often don't get great coverage despite great crowds ... or why anti-war rallies get less coverage over time. "Same old stuff," the editors think. Wednesday's rally was a bit unique, so it got a little better play in the Strib than what could be expected for 2,000 people.