About a dozen people attended the lively FOX SUX
protest and outreach efforts organized by Chicago Media Action, and in
downtown Chicago in
the late afternoon and early evening hours on March 15, 2006.
The
protest, despite its relatively small size, had tremendous visibility
right outside the studios of Chicago's FOX
affiliate, near the heart of Chicago's Michigan
Avenue -- the busiest street in downtown Chicago -- and during
the evening rush hour -- the busiest time of day. Dozens of Chicago Transit buses
passed by the protest increasing the potential outreach, hundreds of
flyers were passed out, and the action had an energy
and rapport with many passers-by (including a few employees of FOX Chicago).
Media-themed posters
and signs were in abundant supply at the protest, and included signs
reading "The media:
As liberal as the corporations that own them", "We're watching the news.
We'll let you know if we find any.", "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to
take it anymore", and "Deport Rupert Murdoch". (This last sign is ironic
since Murdoch is a naturalized American citizen; Murdoch became a U.S.
citizen precisely to evade FCC media ownership
regulations affecting foreign-born citizens.)
Protest attendees
also made available flyers about media-themed issues
like independent media sources and the
network neutrality debate in Congress.
The protest carried a
serious antiwar theme as well. With the coming third anniversary of the
launch of the Iraq War, protesters displayed banners involving the cost of
war in dollars and in lives (Iraqis and Americans both), and a second
banner spelling out the word "IMPEACH" accompanied by a photo of George W.
Bush. Protest attendees also distributed flyers promoting the planned
March 18 antiwar rally and march, also scheduled to march south down
Michigan Avenue.
The protest was part of a National Day of Media Action called by the
national activist organizations Mediachannel and United For Peace and
Justice. Mediachannel reported interest in dozens of such media-themed actions
across the United States.
The protest ended at about 6:10pm, at
which the protest marched north about three blocks for a brief display at
Tribune Plaza near the showcase studios of WGN Radio, which happened to be
on the air during the display.
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