Reporter's notebook: What really happens at Tea Party rallies

CNN ^ | April 7, 2010 | Shannon Travis

[Free ThinkerNY]

(CNN) -- When it comes to the Tea Party movement, the stereotypes don't tell the whole story.

Here's what you often see in the coverage of Tea Party rallies: offensive posters blasting President Obama and Democratic leaders; racist rhetoric spewed from what seems to be a largely white, male audience; and angry protesters rallying around the Constitution.

Case in point: During the health care debate last month, opponents shouted racial slurs at civil rights icon Georgia Rep. John Lewis and one person spit on Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. The incidents made national headlines, and they provided Tea Party opponents with fodder to question the movement.

But here's what you don't often see in the coverage of Tea Party rallies: Patriotic signs professing a love for country; mothers and fathers with their children; African-Americans proudly participating; and senior citizens bopping to a hip-hop rapper.

Last week, I saw all of this during a five-city Western swing as the Tea Party Express national tour made its way across the country. CNN was along for the ride, and I was charged with planning CNN's coverage for five stops in two states: St. George, Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah; and Grand Junction and Denver, Colorado.

[NTHockey]

This lying will not stop until they are hauled into court and sued. Anything short of a conviction and $$$ paid to every TEA party member will stop the Big Lie.

[justlurking]

Has anyone been able to find an email address for Shannon Travis (the CNN producer that published this article)?

I'd like to send her a more or less positive note, but point out that her "case in point" reported as fact is anything but fact.

[Clarence]

Looks to me as if CNN wants to do something about boosting their terrible ratings; I say the hell with them- don’t watch, don’t click on their web site, and let them continue to sink.

[SmokingJoe]

How many more times are we going to see this lie repeated???????????????????????????

CNN and the 0bama lamestream media are students of history apparently.

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”
— Adolf Hitler

[RatsDawg]

That elitist O’Rielly has never been a big fan of the Tea Parties.

He is just mad that the rallies aren’t called, “The Who’s Looking Out For You?” rallies.

[icwhatudo]

Not a bad article considering the source.

“There were a few signs that could be seen as offensive to African-Americans. But by and large, no one I spoke with or I heard from on stage said anything that was approaching racist.

Almost everyone I met was welcoming to this African-American television news producer.”

[FrankR]

Again, another disinfranchised liberal reporter climbs on the Anti-TEA wagon with a boring re-write of lies already published time and time again. It's getting where there is not use to even look, you KNOW it's from CNN or NYT.

Insofar as his assertion that there were "no patriotic signs" and "no families"...well, I've got dozens of pictures displaying both taken at the last DC rally.

As far as that "Rocky Horror Picture Show"-like reenactment of a "civil rights march" (they all want to be the next MLK it appears) through the TEA party crowd with Pelosi and her cartoon-size gavel, I've never seen a more blatent, "I dare you" moment in my life...those people were out to provoke and incident from the start, and when it didn't happen for them, they MADE IT UP...it's as simple as that and they have no proof to the contrary.

Insofar as Cleaver goes...well...

[OneWingedShark]

>This lying will not stop until they are hauled into court and sued. Anything short of a conviction and $$$ paid to every TEA party member will stop the Big Lie.

What would that be? A class-action libel/slander/defamation suit?

[r9etb]

How many more times are we going to see this lie repeated???????????????????????????

Are you sure it's a lie? I'm not. I'm sure, in fact, that there are a few idiots in the Tea Party rallies who would and probably did do exactly what was alleged.

The key here is not to call it "lies," because somebody will be sure to uncover or even manufacture a documented example. And then you'd be toast.

Instead, it's necessary to convince people that those idiots are very much marginal characters who absolutely do not represent the vast majority of the people who are protesting in these rallies.

This particular issue highlights the fundamental problem facing the Tea Party movement right now: its intentionally decentralized nature pretty much precludes any means by which the movement can create a public image for itself -- who it represents, and what it stands for.

The movement's public image is therefore created by those who report on it. And many, if not most, of the reporters are hostile.

[Oldpuppymax]

It would be fun to visit the “other side of the looking glass” world leftists live in.

[astyanax]

[Mamzelle]

Except this reporter has NO EVIDENCE that any racial slurs took place.

And she must know about Bretbart's bounty. Stopped reading right there. May CNN lose more audience share.

[SmokingJoe]

It's not a bad article, no. Just wish she'd left out the obligatory whack at the Tea Parties about that non-existent "N" word insult on the black congressmen. But hey, she's gotta keep her job at CNN I guess. She may even be called to the boss's office for a little private chat over this one.

[Kartographer]

[TankerKC]

Case in point: During the health care debate last month, opponents shouted racial slurs at civil rights icon Georgia Rep. John Lewis and one person spit on Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

CNN is still pushing that lie.

[SmokingJoe]

I’m sure, in fact, that there are a few idiots in the Tea Party rallies who would and probably did do exactly what was alleged.,/i>

And your evidence is?
We have plenty of tapes covering every second of that walk by these black congressmen. There is no racist epithet anywhere.
There is a $100,000 reward for you if you can provide the evidence to back up your accusation, buddy, so let's see it.

[r9etb]

Context is your friend. Read my whole comment, and get back to me with a real response.

[Gene Eric]

>> I’m sure, in fact, that there are a few idiots

Are you sure it’s a fact, or are you just speculating?

There’s NO proof this occurred - to the contrary, there’s evidence of a motive to fabricate the allegations.

Until evidence of uncivil behavior surfaces, there’s no need to isolate the group from it.

[Tzimisce]

Breitbart has offered 10k to ANYONE who can prove it true.

I believe he later raised the reward offer.

To date, NO ONE has yet come forward with proof.

And when you report something as true but you can’t prove, it’s called “slander” and “libel” and it’s a crime. Again - the burden of proof is on the accuser not the accusee.

If it really is true, let them prove it. Otherwise, don’t say it.

[Tzimisce]

And that’s what’s going to happen here, everyone is going to start to believe the falsehood.