Last night, CNN (and other networks) showed protesters on TV during Sen. John McCain’s speech.

Personally, I don’t see a problem with it. Not the protesters, nor the fact they were shown.

I think it was good they showed it, would they have done the same thing during Obama’s speech, maybe not, but they should have, had it happened.

If they hadn’t showed it, it would be a mark of censorship, not respect for McCain. That’s something that shouldn’t be apparent in mainstream media, even though it sometimes is, but when it can be avoided, it should.

McCain and the rest of republicans understand that people oppose their opinions, and democrats have always been more outspoken than republicans, especially the young ones. I don’t blame the network for showing both protesters, rather, I applaud them for it.

It showed CNN wasn’t lying when they said they’d show all speeches from both conventions, unfiltered and unedited.

As for the idea that there’s a time and place for protesting, someone said the same thing in a comment on my post about the five Americans arrested in Beijing during this summer’s Olympics. I don’t beleive that either. Protesting is about speaking out for yourself, for what you beleive in, but it’s also partly about trying to get your message out to an audience with decision-making power (in this case, we the voters).

What better place to get your message out, that you don’t support McCain or his stance on the war in Iraq, than on international television with millions of viewers tuned in simultaneously?

Some protests can be inappropriate or in bad taste (see: any protest by Topeka, Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church), but when it comes to an issue that is so widely debated across the country, and across the world, many platforms are OK.

They should have been escorted out, as they were, so as not to disturb McCain. But CNN and other networks giving them the publicity they wanted is OK.

Media censorship is very bad, but trying to censor citizens is worse.

About The Author

Sachin Seth is the Blast Magazine world news reporter. He writes the Terra blog. You can visit his website at http://sachinseth.com or follow him on twitter @sachinseth

4 Responses

  1. dgreatone

    So what? The latest is that one of the news media organizations gave them passes to let them in. News media making news, very possible.

    Reply
  2. John Guilfoil

    I wasn’t as much pointing out that CNN (and networks) were showing protesters as I was pointing out my surprise that protesters were allowed to get past the security.

    Reply
  3. Sachin Seth

    Oh, I know that John. I was talking about when you said that there’s a time and place. Really, there is, but here I personally think it was OK.

    I’m surprised they got past security too.

    Dgreatone is saying something I haven’t heard as of yet and can’t find anywhere on the web so I can’t really comment on that.

    Reply
  4. Manuel

    I’m with Sachin on this one. Show protesters on both sides. It’s only fair and balanced. I don’t know where *dgreatone* is getting his facts from.

    Reply

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