You might think a major metropolitan newspaper that boasts "The Midwest's largest reporting team" on its front page would report on a suburban demonstration attracting thousands of people. In the case of the Chicago Tribune, you'd be wrong.
Today's Tribune print edition makes no mention of yesterday's Tea Party Express protest in New Lenox, Illinois, located only 36 miles from Chicago's Loop. The Southtown Star did cover the event on its Web site, noting:
About 6,000 people packed the hillside venue at The Commons Performing Arts Pavilion for the protest, part of a nationwide Tea Party Express tour that includes speeches, musical performances and updates from a traveling Fox News correspondent.
Monday's audience was the largest yet, organizers said.
Today's Tribune devotes two stories, six pictures, and two maps to Oprah Winfrey's "takeover of downtown Chicago Monday." And there are stories on disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's media blitz to hawk his new book, Chicago students getting free haircuts with which to start the new school year, and how more stores are now accepting food stamps.
Then there's the story titled, "After all the fuss, president to urge kids: stay in school," complete with a photo of Obama smiling. A large picture of a woman holding a "Health Care Can't Wait" sign accompanies an Obama's Labor Day AFL-CIO speech story, subtitled "President decries 'lies' about health care plans, says debate time is over."
The Tribune even finds space to devote to an article to a suburban man who's installed a faux drawbridge for his Tudor-style home.
Yet the Chicago Tribune, with "The Midwest's largest reporting team," doesn't report on a true grassroots phenomenon. As this is written, there's no mention of the story on the newspaper's Web site either. Maybe the mainstream media are just hoping that if they ignore them long enough, Tea Parties, and the people who attend them, will just go away. I don't think so.
