Posted by
Mike Bates on Tuesday, September 08, 2009 11:48:52 AM
You might think a major metropolitan newspaper that boasts "The
Midwest's largest reporting team" on its front page would report on a
suburban demonstration attracting thousands of people. In the case of
the Chicago Tribune, you'd be wrong.
Today's Tribune print edition makes no mention of yesterday's Tea
Party Express protest in New Lenox, Illinois, located only 36 miles
from Chicago's Loop. The Southtown Star did cover the event on its Web site, noting:
About 6,000 people packed the hillside venue at The
Commons Performing Arts Pavilion for the protest, part of a nationwide
Tea Party Express tour that includes speeches, musical performances and
updates from a traveling Fox News correspondent.
Monday's audience was the largest yet, organizers said.
Today's Tribune devotes two stories, six pictures, and two maps to
Oprah Winfrey's "takeover of downtown Chicago Monday." And there are
stories on disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's media blitz to hawk
his new book, Chicago students getting free haircuts with which to
start the new school year, and how more stores are now accepting food
stamps.
Then there's the story titled, "After all the fuss, president to
urge kids: stay in school," complete with a photo of Obama smiling. A
large picture of a woman holding a "Health Care Can't Wait" sign
accompanies an Obama's Labor Day AFL-CIO speech story, subtitled
"President decries 'lies' about health care plans, says debate time is
over."
The Tribune even finds space to devote to an article to a suburban
man who's installed a faux drawbridge for his Tudor-style home.
Yet the Chicago Tribune, with "The Midwest's largest reporting
team," doesn't report on a true grassroots phenomenon. As this is
written, there's no mention of the story on the newspaper's Web site
either. Maybe the mainstream media are just hoping that if they ignore
them long enough, Tea Parties, and the people who attend them, will
just go away. I don't think so.