With more than 7 million attending, this weekend’s No Kings rallies were major news. Still, if 7 million trees fall in a forest and no local press is there to cover it, has it really happened? While the rallies were clearly the weekend’s top story, it takes courage sometimes to just do your job, especially when that work flies in the face of relentless intimidation from the government.
So local coverage was key - and the array of front pages featuring the gatherings on Sunday and Monday - from red, blue and purple parts of the country - was nearly as impressive as the rallies themselves - especially given the obfuscation from state-approved propaganda arms masquerading as press.
We’ve seen how the coverage of mass grass-roots gatherings in other countries has changed history, most recently in Israel, where, were it not for those frequent rallies in Tel Aviv - and the front-page splash they earned each time - there would be have been no ceasefire and the hostages would never have come home.1
The people have the power to effect change - and the press has the power to give meaning to their actions and impetus to that change. They have the responsibility to cover largest-ever grass roots rallies, but at a time like this, it takes courage. Can you imagine what it must be like to be the editor of the Palm Beach newspaper today, in light of their coverage of protests in Trump’s backyard? Even Stars and Stripes came through (see below). Somewhere, Generals Eisenhower, Marshall and Schwarzkopf are smiling.
And it takes solidarity. When everyone covers these rallies, when everyone is mindful of this administration’s crimes and accurate about the growing resistance to them, it is much easier to absorb the “incoming” fecal material from Trump’s spitfire, both figurative and literal. Just as universities are learning that there is strength in unity, the press needs to understand that too. This weekend, they passed the test. Except for one noteworthy paper that I’ll mention at the end.
Here’s a sampling of front page coverage of the No Kings rallies (source: Freedom Forum). When journalism does its job, despite all the cutbacks, technological takeovers and the virtual elimination of local media, and despite the intimidation that every editor must feel, it is a breathtaking demonstration of democracy at work.
I present it for people to share and preserve, as part of the historical record of these perilous and heroic times.
And at the bottom, I put the New York Times, which, although it has generally covered Trump 2.0 with courage and fairness, failed miserably this weekend to cover properly one of the largest mass assemblies in American history. Just a couple of squished photos below the fold, and that’s it for the front page.
For shame.
Worcester, Mass.:
Reno, Nevada:
Sioux Falls, SD:
East Vancouver, Washington:
Green Bay, Wisconsin:
St. George, Utah:
Indianapolis, Indiana
Stars and Stripes (!)
Norfolk, Virginia
Missoula, Montana
Springfield, Mass.
Boston, Mass.
Chicago, Illinois
Washington, DC
Bay Area, California
Thousand Oak, California
Tallahassee, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
Eugene, Oregon
York, Pennsylvania
El Paso, Texas (This front page has several interesting stories)
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Butte, Montana
Concord, NH
West Lebanon, NH
New York Times
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