[Peace-discuss] Fwd:[ANSWER]: New York Times does about-face on Oct (1 of 2

[jencart]

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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

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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,