Letter: Moms’ march was distorted by the media

Wednesday, June 14, 2000 | 10:15 a.m.

In its coverage of the event, the establishment media did their part to magnify the event's impact by misleading the public about the size of the "march." Scores of wire service stories uncritically retained the organizers' claims that 750,000 people had participated in the event.

The Washington Post referred to "several hundred thousand" in attendance; the Boston Globe described the gathering as being "at least 200,000."

The Christian Science Monitor, by way of contrast, reported that organizers "said about 150,000 marchers" had gathered for the event.

In the absence of an official estimate from the National Park Service (which no longer provides such figures), and with the help of artfully cropped photos and video footage, the media created the impression that the march was a huge gathering drawing from the broadest possible strata of the masses.

The Senate, with the help of Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., sealed the triumph of this exercise in Leninism (pressure from above, pressure from below) by approving, by a vote of 50-49, a resolution commending the Million Mom March and calling for the enactment of new civilian disarmament measures.

FRANK M. PELTESON