As swarms of protesters took to the streets in small and major cities throughout the U.S. for the March Against Monsanto, local media flocked to the crowds, covering a worldwide movement breaking out in their backyards.
While local and alternative media outlets captured the voices of more than 2 million people marching against Monsanto in 400 of America’s cities, national viewers were left in the dark, unaware of a global form of solidarity against a genetically modified food industry that’s prevalent in 80 percent of consumers’ processed food.
Protests were waged in the U.S., Egypt, South Africa, Australia, Israel, Croatia and the U.K., along with more than 40 other countries, representing an unprecedented global march of grassroots solidarity.
They marched in protest of a food industry that does not allow for labeling of genetically modified food, or GMOs, while also highlighting the problems related to the widespread use of pesticides in GMO products, including the decline in the bee population and associated health and environmental risks.
Despite the numbers and the intense organization of the worldwide event, CNN ignored it. With over 1 million viewers, CNN’s only coverage was posted by a citizen journalist who highlighted the blackout of the event on iCNN, a site run solely through citizen journalist contributions.
“In the midst of this old fashioned, peaceful demonstration against oppression, undue and unchecked health hazards imposed without options or avoidance, the mainstream media, including CNN, turned a blind eye to the people of the world,” wrote the anonymous contributor.
CNN wasn’t alone. The BBC, the voice of England, was also void of coverage. The New York Times left the movement out completely as well.
A report written by Merlyn Seeley of The Examiner analyzed the scenario in St. Louis, Mo., pointing out the lack of national attention.
“Even though you can see in the slideshow and videos provided in this article that the St. Louis march was a true success and highly attended, mainstream media outlets such as CNN just did not over the event at all,” Seeley wrote. “In fact, there was no coverage of the March Against Monsanto event worldwide in most mainstream media outlets.”
U.K.-based newspaper The Guardian did pick up the story, but it published an Associated Press report used by other outlets, including USA Today and ABC News.
While national outlets made the decision to leave the worldwide grassroots movement out of its daily lineups, local media organizations — both print and broadcast — picked up the slack, highlighting the stories of a varied group of citizens marching against Monsanto.
Local outlets carrying the message
Nick Bernabe of TheAnti-Media.org wrote an analysis in the lead-up to the event, assessing the role of “mainstream media” in event coverage. Bernabe argued that while the coverage may not be robust, it doesn’t matter.
“This new way of media and activism cannot be controlled by the likes of corporations or governments; these are ideas and they cannot be stopped,” he wrote. “This new paradigm shift starts with you, your friends and family, and the way you connect with people around you; the way information is disseminated makes all the difference in this new paradigm.”
Interaction with individuals taking part in the March Against Monsanto, which ranged from concerned mothers to dedicated environmental activists, also let local outlets know the issue was worth their attention.
On May 23, Jeanne Marie Troge posted a message on the Facebook site of Minneapolis, Minn., NBC affiliate KARE 11, urging the news team to cover the rally.
“Please cover the March Against Monsanto marches this Saturday that are taking place all over the world,” Troge wrote. “Our food supply is poisoned by Monsanto. This is NEWS!!! Please, won’t you join with us in a march against Monsanto???”
With more than 2,000 people converging on the Minnesota state capitol, the movement was almost too large to ignore. The station covered the event, highlighting the growing concern not only in its area, but around the globe.
The same was the case in other cities throughout the U.S.
Thousands marched in Seattle, the birthplace of the March Against Monsanto movement. It captured the attention of local media, highlighting residents’ concerns over a lack of labeling of GMO products.
The same was the case in Portland, Ore., where nearly 6,000 residents took to the streets. In Los Angeles, the Times’ coverage of the local event indicated that it drew thousands.
The struggle now for those involved in the movement is to keep the momentum — and communication — going.
“How do we carry on this March Against Monsanto, this new food revolution, passed the 25th? Capture the momentum of this movement and harness it at the local level,” Bernabe wrote. “Keep your local march network alive and growing.”