CNN Features Only Anti-War Websites on Iraq War Anniversary

Wednesday’s "The Situation Room" featured three anti-war grassroots websites during a short segment, without including any from the opposing viewpoint. Host Wolf Blitzer introduced the segment by talking about the anti-war protests marking the 5-year anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war. "Hundreds of anti-war protesters gathered in Washington for this, the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. At least 31 people were arrested today, according to the organizers. Protests are also happening across the country, and many of them are being organized online."

Blitzer brought in CNN Internet reported Abbi Tatton, who described the websites and the groups behind them. "[I]t’s a coalition of groups organizing and publicizing the protests today on this website, ‘5 Years Too Many,’ and they’ve been updating with pictures of the protests -- these from Washington -- throughout the day. The goal: to disrupt business as usual..."

Tatton then described one of the groups participating in the protests. "Amongst the demonstrators in the nation’s capital today -- students on an alternative spring break. Ashley Casale from Wesleyan University is one of the organizers of ‘Our Spring Break,’ which has brought 150 students from various different schools to Washington, and they say that they’ve been organizing largely through Facebook, that social networking site."

Another group featured by Tatton was MoveOn.org. "And separately, the group MoveOn.org has got candlelight vigils planned on this, the fifth-year anniversary of the Iraq war. They’ve got almost 900 of those going on, starting in a couple of hours."

The report, which aired 35 minutes into the 4 pm Eastern hour of "The Situation Room," made no mention of any of the groups who are opposing the anti-war protesters, such as Eagles Up, Move America Forward, or the DC Chapter of FreeRepublic.com. Another mainstream media outlet, the Washington Post, actually treated such groups more fairly. They featured the Eagles Up organization in its March 16 edition.