Significant Findings

What I found most significant was the media coverage during the protests. The New York Times printed a flawed article accusing demonstrators of being extremely violent. A retraction was printed two days later, but the damage was done. Other news networks followed the initial coverage of The Times and focused on “violent protesters,” instead of police brutality and the message behind the demonstration.



The mayor of Seattle declared a civil emergency and called in The National Guard Troops. Protestors were portrayed as violent anarchist. A large portion of the early media coverage focused on the destruction of public property by a small group of those protesting against the WTO. A small group of individuals who used violence to relay a message became the media’s focus and this was used to justify the brutality against all demonstrators, even the majority who were there to protest peacefully.