1966 Anti War Protest In New York City & How The MSM Presented It

The Spring Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam, also known as "Spring Mobe," took place on April 15, 1967. It was one of the largest anti-war protests in the United States during the Vietnam War. Demonstrations were held in multiple cities, but the largest were in New York City and San Francisco.

In New York City, sources suggested that 400,000 people participated and other sources said the number was closer to 125,000. Regardless of the exact number, it's clear that the event was one of the largest anti-war protests of the era.

The event was generally peaceful although as shown in this news clip, like any large protest, there were likely isolated incidents. Some anti-war demonstrations of the era did experience instances of violence, often when protestors clashed with police or counter-protestors.

The protest was broad-based and involved a wide range of groups and individuals opposed to the Vietnam War, including civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., members of the clergy, labor unions, students, academics, and as shown, members of the counterculture or "hippies." The anti-war movement was diverse and included people from all walks of life, and the hippie counterculture was a significant part of that movement. The protestors marched from Central Park to the United Nations where leaders like King and others delivered speeches against the war.

The Spring Mobilization helped to galvanize the anti-war movement and signaled the growing public opposition to the war, which would continue to increase in the coming years.

What I found most interesting about this news piece is the way that the voiceover narrator comments on what we are seeing. The innuendos. The propaganda. The strong point of view. The mainstream news media coverage of the antiwar demonstrations at that time was a complex and controversial issue. The media coverage was affected by a variety of factors, including the political climate of the time, the role of the media in shaping public opinion and the government's response to the antiwar demonstrations.

In general, the mainstream news media tended to provide extensive coverage of the antiwar demonstrations, particularly as the movement gained momentum and became more visible in the late 1960s. News organizations such as CBS, NBC, and ABC devoted significant airtime to covering the protests with many journalists and correspondents providing on-the-ground reporting.

But the media coverage of the antiwar movement was not universally positive or supportive. Some news outlets, particularly those with more conservative or pro-government leanings, portrayed the demonstrators as unpatriotic or anti-American. There were also concerns by leaders of the movement that the media coverage of the protests focused too much on the more violent or confrontational aspects of the demonstrations and that this could contribute to negative perceptions of the antiwar movement, its protesters and its goals.

Overall the media coverage of the antiwar demonstrations played an important role in shaping public opinion and influencing government policy. The extensive coverage of the protests helped to raise awareness of the antiwar movement and it contributed to the growing public opposition to the Vietnam War. The media coverage also helped to hold government officials and military leaders accountable for their actions, and it played a key role in shaping the public debate over the war and the broader issues of peace and social justice.