Media fueling May Day violence? You’re asking the wrong question

There’s a question that always gets asked after wall-to-wall media coverage of the now standard May Day riot in Seattle: how much is the media to be blamed for the actions of the protesters? The answer is, not at all. You’re asking the wrong question. It should be: how much of your interest in this is to blame for the protester’s actions?

Related: Nine arrests, five SPD officers injured in May Day march

I saw a few tweets discussing and questioning the role the media plays in egging on the acts of a couple hundred rioters. Here’s one:

@jasonrantz honest question. what part do you think local media obsession plays in all the yearly #MayDay violence? #MayDaySea #SeaMayDay

— RatDogFreak (@ratdogfreak) May 2, 2016

We’ll ignore the inaccurate claim that the peaceful march wasn’t covered; it garnered a lot of coverage. But no, not nearly as much as the violent portion, and that’s worth exploring.

To pretend the media coverage is fueling the rock/cement chunk and can of ravioli thrown at cops, is misguided, at best. The violent protesters in the crowd actively tried not to be the subject of coverage. They cussed, flipped off cameras, and puts hands up in front of photographers. They still were going to march and assault cops; the media just happened to be there to cover it.

The better question to ask is if your interest in the coverage fuels the violence because all media outlets are informed by what the consumers want them to cover.

You have decided, overwhelmingly, that you want these events covered. There’s no doubt that some are watching or listening for the violence; others watch to see if the protester’s messages are shared adequately; others watch because a riot in the middle of Downtown Seattle on a beautiful Sunday night dramatically alters plans (and if you were heading into the area not knowing the violence that was unfolding, you can be at risk of injury).

Consumers of news dictate what’s covered. If you wanted wall-to-wall coverage of a stamp collector’s conference, you’d get it. Whether it’s a newspaper, television station, or radio station, the news that gets the most coverage is the news there’s the most interest in. There’s a reason you’re reading this very blog musings. And now that I know it’s of interest to you, if the page views warrant it, I will follow up and continue this conversation on my radio show. We take our cues, in large part, from you.
If you think this coverage fuels violence, stop reacting to it. You have all the power; you could relegate the coverage to a photo gallery no one clicks on if that’s what you wanted.

With that said, I still don’t think your interest fuels the violent actions of protesters. Their ideology and their anti-cop views fuel their actions. Let’s not take away their personal responsibility; they chose to be violent, not us.

What do you think? Comment below.

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