Categorical Aperitif

It was seven years ago today that "millions" got conveniently downgraded to "thousands":

February 15, 2003
—Mass protests are held around the world against the Iraq War. Hundreds of thousands turn out in New York City. The mainstream media pay more attention than usual, though some outlets were a little confused about turnout. The ABC News website ran this headline over an Associated Press report: "Thousands Worldwide Protest War in Iraq." The subhead, right under the headline, was "Hundreds of Thousands Worldwide Open Day of Rallies Against Possible Military Action in Iraq." The first line of the piece: "Millions of protesters many of them marching in the capitals of America's traditional allies demonstrated Saturday against possible U.S. plans to attack Iraq."

Unsurprisingly, coverage of the New York march on Fox News Channel is hostile. One anchor mentions that he "came to work here and looked out the windows and I haven't seen that many people." The reporter on the scene, Jonathan Hunt, agrees, saying that it "didn't seem to me as though they got anywhere near this much touted figure of 100,000." Hunt refers to the "usual suspects" marching along with the "usual celebrity suspects," before adding that the march "hasn't got a lot of attention so far I think because the numbers were far, far below that 100,000." Another Fox anchor comments later in the day that the network is "always very reluctant to show these pictures of the anti-war protest. It is unrepresentative of sentiment in America."

Peace.

// posted by nash @ 10:17 AM