[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22319]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      MEDIA DOWNPLAY 9/12 PROTESTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 22, 2009

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, the national media's coverage of 
the conservative 9/12 protests was scarce and antagonistic, according 
to an analysis by the Media Research Center (MRC).
  According to MRC, the three TV networks did not offer any pre-rally 
coverage before the 9/12 protests.
  And their coverage afterward intentionally tried to paint a negative 
picture of the protestors.
  Furthermore, a regular commentator on MSNBC dismissed the protestors 
as ``the fringe of the fringe,'' although they were everyday Americans.
  And The New York Times buried its coverage of the protests on page 
A37 of Sunday's paper.
  In contrast, the media gave significantly more--and more positive--
coverage to liberal protests recently.
  The national media should give fair coverage to protests on both 
sides, rather than downplaying conservative demonstrations.

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