Bernie supporters have finally decided to strike back against the media blackout. Using the hashtag #OccupyCNN, hundreds of protesters are staging a peaceful protest outside the CNN building on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
The protest is in response to CNN and other mainstream outlets’ consistent lack of coverage for the anti-establishment candidate who is raising more money than Hillary Clinton despite not taking corporate donations, drawing thousands of supporters at every rally, and consistently threatening Clinton with an ever-narrowing primary race.
A decisiondata.org analysis found that the media has ignored Bernie Sanders “to a shocking degree.” Based on their numbers, Clinton enjoys “a high amount of coverage, despite no dramatic changes in polls and lower search interest (than Bernie).”
With heated rallying calls of “The revolution WILL be televised!” the mood of the protest was vibrantly brimming with the passionate optimism that has come to define the Sanders campaign. The activists played music and cheered as cars drove by, packing the sidewalks in front of the building and across the street.
YUGE protest outside @cnn protesting Bernie's media coverage #BernTheMedia #OccupyCNN #FeelTheBern pic.twitter.com/NUx8VLX1S5
— Steve Isaacs (@steveisaacs) April 3, 2016
Protesters took to the mic to call out CNN’s constant coverage of Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric while completely silencing Bernie’s message. “You strive for sensationalism, CNN, because it supposedly brings in the views,” said one protester. “But your sensationalism is driving us away. Stop the melodrama in journalism… Wouldn’t it be nice if mainstream media measured its success not by the number of viewers, but by how accurately informed their viewers are?”
#OccupyCNN is now trending on twitter, but as of this writing, CNN has yet to cover the protest. Twitter users were quick to notice.
.@CNNbrk What exactly constitutes breaking news if it's not the literal news outside your doors? https://t.co/OwABpWbLvs #OccupyCNN
— Shan_4_Bernie! (@shanaries) April 3, 2016
⚡️Breaking: Biased @CNN neglects to address large demonstrations on front door step that point out very same CNN bias. #OccupyCNN
— Amanda in Philly (@amindy07) April 3, 2016
The Young Turks here and doing what CNN won't #OccupyCNN #BernieSanders2016 pic.twitter.com/VeXKl15lOm
— Roni Cisneros (@Baltimorron) April 3, 2016
CNN’s Twitter page boasts that “It’s our job to #GoThere and tell the most difficult stories.” As they continue to ignore the Bernie protest, here’s their latest official tweet:
Quiz: What does your favorite music say about you?https://t.co/CVKkF5C2mn pic.twitter.com/maw9FGWXK5
— CNN (@CNN) April 3, 2016
Ironically, the picture in this tweet perfectly personifies CNN’s response to the entire Sanders campaign thus far: that of a media corporation with its eyes and ears closed, lazily basking in its own sense of self-importance while a revolution occurs outside. For a company that brags about its willingness to #GoThere, it seems one place they won’t go is right outside their front doors.
Nathan Wellman is a Los Angeles-based journalist, author, and playwright. Follow him on Twitter: @LightningWOW
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SOURCE: US Uncut