TeaParties:TheVoiceofAmerica
CaseStudy:April15th2009TeaParties,DespiteMedia’sinsinuationsthey’renotjustaRepublicanpowerplay
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TheUnitedStatesofAmericawascreatedtoprovideahavenandhomeforimmigrantsandhas
developedintooneofthebiggestanddiversecountriesintheworld.OurFoundingFatherswrotetheConstitutioninordertoprovideAmericanswithguidelinesandhopeforanewcountryandwayoflife.NowhundredsofyearslaterAmericansaretryingtofindthevoicestheyusedtocallouttoEnglandand
theworlddemandingtheyberecognized.Thedifferenceistodayit’shappeningintheirowntownsandthey’repleadingfortheirowngovernment,theonecreatedtoprotectandhelpthem,todoastheyhavepromised.Throughtheomnipresenceofcamerasforeverythingtodayitwasareasonable
expectationthattheirfightwouldbeshownonthenewsandlistenedto.Insteadtheywereeitherignoredorberatedasfools.Themediagavethepeopleadialogueofanti‐Americanismusingsoundand
imagebitestogivetheaudiencethe
impressionofrabblerousers.Thefreedomofspeechallowedtothembytheshapersofourcountrywasinfull
effect.
TheTea(TaxedEnoughAlready)PartiestookplaceonApril15th2009,allacrossthecountry.Itwasa
gatheringofpeopletoprotesttaxationprimarilyandharkenedbacktothe
originalTeaPartyheldinBostonwhentheSonsofLibertytossedchestsofteaintotheharbortoprotestunfair
taxation.
Manynewsoutletssuggestthattheentireconceptofteapartieswasa
movebyRepublicansandFoxNewstooverthrowtheDemocratsandspreadvitriolaboutthenew
PresidentsinceFoxNewswasasponsor.PaulKrugmanoftheNewYorkTimeswrote,“Itturnsoutthattheteapartiesdon’trepresentaspontaneousoutpouringofpublicsentiment.They’reAstroTurf(fakegrassroots)events,manufacturedbytheusualsuspects.Inparticular,akeyroleisbeingplayedby
FreedomWorks,anorganizationrunbyRichardArmey,theformerHousemajorityleader,andsupportedbytheusualgroupofright‐wingbillionaires.Andthepartiesare,ofcourse,beingpromotedheavilybyFoxNews.”
ThereweremanylikeMr.KrugmanwhoscoffsattheprotestorsbelievingthemtobesheeptotheGOP’sshepard.Thisseemedtobethetrendamongmainstreammediaoutletseverywherefrom
ABCtoCNN.Themovementinspiredangerandfearinthe‘impartial’reporters.CNN’sSusanRoesgen,whointerviewedseveralprotestersleftimpartialitybehindwhensherepeatedlycutoffintervieweeswithherownopinionsandwhenshesaid,“Well,youknow,Kyra,thisisapartyforObamabashers.I
havetosaythatthisisnotentirelyrepresentativeofeverybodyinAmerica….It'santi‐government,anti‐CNN,sincethisishighlypromotedbytherightwingconservativenetwork,Fox.AndsinceIcan'treallyhearmuchmoreandIthinkthisisnotreallyfamilyviewing,I'lltossitbacktoyou”(CNN).Complaints
aboutherwererampantaftertheairingoftheclipandhaveledtohercontractbeingletgo.
TeaPartiesheldcountrywide
AswaswrittenbyMichelleMalkininapoliticalblog,MichelleMalkin.com,“Activistswerederidedasamateurswhocouldn’tturnoutacrowd.Thentheyweresmearedascorporateshills.Theywerecriticizedfornothavingacoherentmessage.Thentheyweremockedforideologicalsingle‐
mindedness.Theyareresentedbyprofessionalstrategistswhoaccusethemoforganizingemptyproteststhatwon’ttranslateintoelectoralgains.Butthemovementhasgivenbirthtoanewgenerationofmoversandshakerswhohaverejectedestablishmentpartisanpoliticsfornimble,Internet‐facilitated,
issues‐basedadvocacy.ThesuccessoftheTeaPartymovementanditsallies/successorsshowsthatthere’snomonopolyon“communityorganizing.”
Inatimewhenspecialtynewsstationsrunfor24hoursadaythere’salotoffillerthatneedstogointoeachbroadcast.Eachstationparticipatesinagendasetting,puttingwhattheywanttheviewer
tothinkaboutinfrontofthem.Withsuchafloodofinformationcomingatusfromsomanyangleshowcanonedeterminewhotolistento?Doesanyonehavesociety’sbestinterestatheartorareweasapeoplestuckinthebattleforratingsandsoapboxes?ThroughtheiruseofInternet,TVreports,polls,
andtickerswe’reheldcaptivebyopinions.Nowit’stimetofreeoneselfandlearnhowtoquestionthemedia.
Exercises
CanYouRead/ListenBehindtheLines?
Today’sinformationstreamisoverwhelming.Factsandopinionscomefromthenewspaper,the
computer,theTV,cellphonesandyourfriends.Howdoweknowwheretoturntoforourinformation?Whohastheinformationthatwewanttohear?Themajorityofnewschannelstodayhavearightorleftleaningtendency.Inordertofindoutwhichwayyouleanfirstwatchthetwoclipsprovidedand
thenreadthefollowingquotesfrommainstreammediaoutletsandidentifythosethatyouagreewiththemost.
Clip1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zNbWtl4wgM
Clip2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOrPzVECSjo&feature=related
Clip3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vKr95e5aIE&feature=related
Nowreadthefollowingquotesandmatchthequotetothesource:
1‐ "CheeredonbyFoxNewsandtalkradio,thehundredsofteapartiestodayweredesignedtoprotestthebailouts,thestimulusplan,andPresidentObama'sbudget....Butcriticsontheleftsaythisisnotarealgrassrootsphenomenonatall,thatit'sactuallylargelyorchestratedby
peoplefrontingforcorporateinterests....WhiletheBostonTeaPartyin1773wasabouttaxationwithoutrepresentation,criticspointoutthattoday'sprotestersdidgettovote‐‐theyjustlost.
What'smore,pollsshowmostAmericansdon'tfeelovertaxed."
2‐ "Organizersinsisttoday's'teaparties'wereorganicuprisingsoflike‐mindedtaxpayersfrombothparties,"but"someobserverssuggestnotallofitwasashome‐grownasitmayseem."Those"someobservers"turnedouttobeoneobserver,NBCNewsWhiteHousereporterChuckTodd:
"Alotofthesentimentisaboutorganizinganti‐Obamarallies,gettingconservativesexcitedabouttheconservativemovementagain."Turningtopublicsentiment,hemaintained:"Althoughtoday'sorganizerscalledthisnationaldayofprotestasuccess,pollsstillshowthata
slimmajorityofAmericansactuallyapproveofthebailoutplan.Whattheydisagreewithiswherethemoneyshouldgo."
3‐ "Disturbing"thattherewasa"edgeofangeratthegovernment"attherallies.Hecontinued,
"Thereisareal‐‐arealhostilitythatisnotjustpoliticsasusualamongsomeofthesepeople....I
thinkit'sindicativeoftryingtotapintoanangerthat'sbeyondrationalityonapartofasmall
groupofthesepeople…iftheprotesterswere"reallyoutofstepwiththemajorityof
Americans."hemid‐1990sliberalsmearcampaignagainstgrassrootsconservatismbypostingan
articleonthenewDHS"right‐wingextremism"threatreportwithaphotoofneo‐Naziandwhite
supremacistflags.
4‐ “Youknow,thereisnothingmoreinterestingthanseeingabunchofracistsbecomeconfusedandangryataspeech‐‐they'renotquitesurewhathe'ssaying.Itsoundsrighttothem,and
thenitdoesn'tmakesense.Which‐‐let'sbeveryhonestaboutwhatthiswasabout.It'snot
aboutbashingDemocrats,it'snotabouttaxes,theyhavenoideawhattheBostonTeaPartywasabout,theydon'tknowtheirhistoryatall‐‐thiswasabouthatingablackmanintheWhite
House.Thisisracism,straightup.Thatisnothingbutabunchofteabaggingrednecks.”
A‐ CNN’sChristianeAmanpourandJeffreyToobin
B‐ ABC’sDanHarris
C‐ MSNBCguestJaneaneGarofalo
D‐ NBC’sLeeCowan
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/seton‐motley/2009/04/20/summary‐april‐15‐tea‐parties‐media‐coverage
AnalysisCriteria
1. Howdoestheissueofaccesscomeintoplay?Manypeopledidn’tgettoseecoverageontheTeaPartiesduetothelackofastrongmediapresence.Intheendwerethereenoughwaystoaccesstheinformation?Ifso,whatwouldthebestwaysbetofindoutwhatisn’tbeingshown
onyourTV?Doyoublamethemediaforyourlackofaccessordoyoubelievehavingtoseekoutinformationinotherwaysparforthecourse?
2. Aswasdiscussedinthecasestudyawarenessisakeypartofoursociety.There’ssuchafloodofinformationwhat’sthebestwaytobeawareofwhat’simportantandwhat’snot?Wereyou
initiallyawareoftheTeaPartiestakingplacethroughoutthecountry?Ifyouweren’t,whatarethebestchannelsforyoutogatherinformation?
3. TakingintoconsiderationtheYouTubeclipsandquotesassesswhymainstreammediamayhavebeenreluctanttoairfootagefromtheParties.Whatwouldbetheconsforthem?Alsodo
youthinktheycouldhaveaireditinawaythatwasunbiasedandnothaveangeredpeople,thewaySusanRoesgendid?
4. ManymediaoutletshavelabeledtheTeaPartiesasaRepublicancampaign.Doyouappreciatethefervorofthepeopleregardlessofwhereitrootsmayhavestemmedfrom?
5. Haveyouevertakenaction?Doyouthinktheactiontakenbytheparticipantswasintheirbest
interest?Whataboutinthecountry’sbestinterest?Weretherebetterwaystogettheirpointacross?
Sources
"2009TEAPARTIES‐."AtlasShrugs.Web.11Nov.2009.
<http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/04/2009‐tea‐parties.html>.
"InvitationtotheApril15TeaParties."YouTube‐BroadcastYourself.17Mar.2009.Web.1Nov.
2009.<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vKr95e5aIE&feature=related>.
Krugman,Paul."TeaPartiesForever."NewYorkTimes12Apr.2009.12Apr.2009.Web.30Oct.
2009.<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/opinion/13krugman.html>.
Lawless,Charles."RudeCNNReporterNeedsFiredTeaPartyinterviewCNNTeaPartyTax."
YouTube‐BroadcastYourself.16Apr.2009.Web.1Nov.2009.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOrPzVECSjo&feature=related>.
Malkin,Michelle."Celebratingthe9/12Rallies."Weblogpost.MichelleMalkin.12Sept.2009.
Web.30Oct.2009.<http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/12/celebrating‐the‐912‐
rallies/>.
Motley,Seton."SummaryoftheApril15TEAPartiesMediaCoverage."Newsbusters.org.22
Apr.2009.Web.30Oct.2009.<http://newsbusters.org/blogs/seton‐
motley/2009/04/20/summary‐april‐15‐tea‐parties‐media‐coverage>.
Vetsjim."YouTube‐SusanRoesgenChicagoTeaParty4/15."YouTube‐BroadcastYourself.16
Apr.2009.Web.1Nov.2009.<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zNbWtl4wgM>.
