It’s a crisp winter day in January – Washington, D.C. is shuffling with tourists and commuters. The only thing breaking the regular buzz of everyday life is what appears to be a group of around 30 people slowly making their way across the street – pro-life activists, marching peacefully against the horrors of abortion.
Unfortunately, in a city like Washington, D.C., America’s governmental capital and the home of Congress, this type of turnout does not warrant mass media attention, as protests at this location nearly match the frequency of President Trump’s tweets.
Fast-forward to August. Something terrible is happening in Charlottesville. Riots are breaking out – an estimated 650,000 people are marching in solidarity with white supremacists and Neo-Nazis. With a march of this size, a massive media response was generated; every news station, reporter, and blogger is here, itching to get the scoop on why half a million people have shown up to make their voices heard on a matter as dreadful as this.
Ha. Gotcha.
Well, sort of. Everything I’ve written is true, except for one small detail: I’ve swapped the turnouts from these two marches. In reality, the number of people who attended the March for Life was an estimated 650,000, while the white nationalists in Charlottesville topped off at around 30.
However, the manner in which the media has selectively covered these rallies would have you believe otherwise.
The March for Life garners hundreds of thousands of people each year (and in years like 2013, over half a million), but it is virtually ignored by the major news media. Many news sites such as Time Magazine vastly understate turnout numbers at “tens of thousands” while CBS News leave it at mere “thousands.”
Research by MRCTV shows the day of, and two days following the March For Life this year, the media coverage by ABC, CBS and NBC totaled just 3 minutes and 46 seconds.
With the way the news media is forwarding their priorities with coverage of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, one would think numbers rival those of the March for Life. Don’t worry. They thankfully don’t.
