NY Times does about-face on Oct 26 anti-war coverage

[Conghaileach]

NEW YORK TIMES DOES ABOUT-FACE ON OCTOBER 26 ANTI-WAR COVERAGE

*Outraged people across the country demanded a truthful
and unbiased news story*

Flooded by e-mails and calls from people around the country, the New
York Times today has printed a new article under the headline "Rally
in Washington is Said to Invigorate the Antiwar Movement." This
article reflects the magnitude and power of the October 26 March on
Washington to Stop the War Against Iraq and the growing antiwar
movement. This sharp turnaround in Times coverage is the result of
mass anger against a biased report published on Sunday, October 27.

On October 27, the New York Times published an article titled,
"Thousands March in Washington Against Going to War in Iraq" by
Lynette Clemetson, claiming that the demonstration was only in the
"thousands" and featuring a sub-headline that said the size of the
protest was "below expectations." The organizers of the demonstration,
the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism,
http://www.internationalANSWER.org), were extremely pleased by the
massive number of people filling the streets in the 25 solid blocks of
marchers encircling the White House, as were all who attended and
supported the march.

The organizers, who had never been contacted by the reporter from the
Times, attempted to have the article corrected on Saturday night when
the first electronic edition appeared. The New York Times refused to
speak with them and stated that it stood by its story. The New York
Times piece was flatly contradicted by even police estimates and the
Washington Post which stated that the number of demonstrators was
above 100,000, and by organizers and other news media, including
Pacifica, which put the turnout at over 200,000.

While it is not unusual to experience biased reporting about
progressive activities in the corporate media, the transparently false
representations of what took place on October 26 as reported by the
Times stood in stark contrast to what participants could see and feel
for themselves. This created a wave of outrage which was communicated
rapidly to the Times in the form of e-mails, phone calls, and letters.

On Monday, October 28, FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) sent
out an Action Alert (http://www.fair.org/activism/npr-nyt-
protests.html) which was recirculated by many people and organizations
urging people to contact the Times and National Public Radio whose
reporter Nancy Marshall stated that the turnout was under 10,000.

For ADDITIONAL REPORTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS of the October 26 National
March in Washington DC, joint action in San Francisco, and actions
around the world, and for information about how you can get involved,
see http://www.InternationalANSWER.org

To register your opposition to the war, Vote No to War! and become a
volunteer for the PEOPLE'S ANTI-WAR REFERENDUM at
http://www.VoteNoWar.org

--------------------------

New York Times Wednesday, October 30

Rally in Washington Is Said to Invigorate the Antiwar Movement By Kate
Zernike

Emboldened by a weekend antiwar protest in Washington that organizers
called the biggest since the days of the Vietnam War, groups opposed
to military action in Iraq said they were preparing a wave of new
demonstrations across the country in the next few weeks.

The demonstration on Saturday in Washington drew 100,000 by police
estimates and 200,000 by organizers', forming a two-mile wall of
marchers around the White House. The turnout startled even organizers,
who had taken out permits for 20,000 marchers. They expected 30 buses,
and were surprised by about 650, coming from as far as Nebraska and
Florida.

A companion demonstration in San Francisco attracted 42,000
protesters, city police there said, and smaller groups demonstrated in
other cities, including about 800 in Austin, Tex., and 2,500 in
Augusta, Me.

"The rally was like a huge gust of wind into the sails of the antiwar
movement," said Brian Becker, an organizer of the Washington protest.
"Our goal was not simply to have a big demonstration, but to give the
movement confidence that it could prevail. The massive turnout showed
it's legitimate, and it's big."

Building on those demonstrations, a coalition of groups called
International Answer -- short for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism
-- is asking people to vote in a referendum called VoteNoWar.org,
which organizers hope will serve as a countervote to the Congressional
resolution in support of military action in Iraq.

The coalition, which has absorbed several smaller groups around the
country, is also planning another protest on Jan. 18 and 19 in
Washington, to coincide with the commemoration of the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.'s birthday and the 12th anniversary of the Persian
Gulf war. Organizers are also planning what they call a Grass Roots
Peoples' Congress to publicize the results of the referendum.

Smaller groups that attended the demonstrations in San Francisco and
Washington said they were planning their own protests back home.
Protesters plan to march in New Orleans and Tampa, Fla., this weekend;
in Charleston, S.C., in mid-November; and again in San Francisco on
Nov. 22. A group in Louisiana is planning a peace walk between Baton
Rouge and New Orleans at the end of November, and the National Council
of Churches is discussing another rally in Washington for Nov. 24.

MoveOn.org is conducting an online petition drive and has raised about
$2 million for candidates, including the late Senator Paul Wellstone,
who opposed a war in Iraq.

In California, college students are leading teach-ins against the war
at high schools. Richard Becker, an organizer with Answer in San
Francisco, said the group was setting up an emergency response plan to
accommodate a mass protest -- complete with sound systems, placards,
the requisite permits and even portable toilets -- on the day United
States troops enter Iraq.

"There is not going to be one speech or one demonstration, after which
everyone goes home," said Barbara Lubin, the founder of the Middle
East Children's Alliance in Berkeley, Calif. "This is a movement
against war, and it's building momentum."

Those who have been organizing and attending demonstrations for
several months said the swelling size of the protests showed how much
antiwar sentiment had increased as the threat of war intensified.

In San Francisco, a march on Sept. 6 drew 2,500 people, one two weeks
later, 6,000, and one on Oct. 6, 10,000.

"People are very emboldened right now," said Mike Zmolek, an organizer
with the National Network to Stop the War in Iraq. "We've been in a
financial crunch since we started -- suddenly people are sending
checks out of nowhere."

Mr. Zmolek said his organization had attracted 100 new antiwar groups
across the country in the last three months.

The march in Washington was planned by International Answer, with
coordinators of local chapters working in more than two dozen cities
around the country. It attracted homemakers as well as college
students, seasoned activists and those who had never attended any kind
of political rally before.

"It was beautiful," said Merrill Chapman, 35, who called herself "just
a housewife" in Charleston, S.C. "I'm in a very conservative town, and
I feel like the lone voice. Being in Washington energized me, by
seeing I was not alone."

Ms. Chapman had never been to a protest before the demonstration in
Washington, but got involved after organizing a group called Thinking
People in Charleston. She is planning a rally for Nov. 16 in her city.

In Houston, Lois Wright, a 46-year-old saleswoman in a drapery
workroom, said she felt compelled to take the two-day bus ride to
Washington, because the Bush administration seemed "hellbent on going
to war."

"It's O.K. to do stuff in Houston, but nobody gets to hear about it,"
she said. "I felt if we were right in their faces, they couldn't
ignore us."

Polls show that about 50 percent of Americans support sending ground
troops to Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Antiwar organizers
acknowledge some public support for military action, but said that
until now, the voices of those who do not support the policy have not
been heard.

"I think the president has considerable support," Mr. Zmolek said,
"but I think the nation is pretty divided on this."

Certainly, there is still debate. In Austin, the University of Texas
student government passed a resolution on Oct. 22 opposing an attack,
by a vote of 20 to 17. Some students seek to have that vote
overturned, saying it does not reflect the sentiment of the campus's
50,000 students.
--------------------------

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[booga]

LoL is that why Saddam is smiling today? I must admit, though he is insane he is also quite hansome. ha ha.

"the rally was like a huge gust of wind into the sails of the anti-war movement." quoted by a sympathizer in the article. If the ship ends up in the middle of the ocean with out sails, then what? I'm sorry I have not seen on the faces of the elitist circle any fear, nor have they batted an eye. someone is giving on hell of a show (maybe its me, ha ha, shall I take a bow? or will you?) a great ending in the drama of "satan take a bow?" *gasp* will they give the multitudes their "righteous" ending? hmm, based on their history, deception is the rule. its a new age, lets empower the condemned. after all, it is a new war we are fighting.

Praise Jesus! NAY!