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INSURRECTION HYPE. Saturday’s “Justice for J6” demonstration in Washington turned out to be a nothing-burger. Organizers asked people to come to the Mall to support the release of minor offenders awaiting trial but still jailed for their role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Very few protesters, maybe 100-150, tops, showed up.
They were outnumbered by police in heavy riot gear, with the National Guard on standby. They were also outnumbered by journalists, who ran around in a vain attempt to find anything that might qualify as news. The event took place within sight of fencing erected by Capitol Police to keep a massive, violent crowd from overrunning the Capitol. That crowd, of course, never materialized.
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Saturday’s nonevent was the result of a massive overreaction on the part of the authorities and the press. How did that happen? Just look at the relentless insurrection hype that filled news coverage in the days and weeks leading up to Sept. 18. Look in particular at MSNBC and CNN, which spent hours telling viewers that something really big was up.
“We’re talking insurrection 2.0,” MSNBC host Ari Melber said on Sept. 9. Guest Chai Komanduri, a Democratic strategist, responded, “The Sept. 18 rally, quite frankly, feels to me like coming attractions for what we’re going to see probably with future Trump rallies and maybe a future Trump campaign.”
Others on MSNBC saw ominous signs. “Since Jan. 6, there hasn’t been a rally that has generated this much noise in the social media space,” said the network’s national security analyst, Clint Watts, on Sept. 3. “You’re starting to see things like them making T-shirts, starting to do some of the paraphernalia around this given day. And you’re having media personalities and politicians both talking about that date and a potential rally. So that’s tipping and cueing just like we saw around Jan. 6.”
MSNBC host Joy Reid urged viewers to ignore those who suggested the protest would not amount to much. “The rally is being organized by a former Trump campaign official,” Reid said on Sept. 9. “And while the permit for the event claims that only 700 participants are expected to attend, nobody really knows how many might turn up, nor how deranged they might be.” Reid pointed to media reports of possible widespread violence. “Law enforcement is now planning to reinstall fencing around the Capitol,” she said. “And Roll Call reports that, according to police intelligence, there’s been an uptick in violent talk about the rally. Extremists have discussed committing violent acts against local Jewish centers and liberal churches while law enforcement is distracted.”
In all, MSNBC’s on-air hosts and guests spent hours and hours hyping the rally as the next step in insurrectionist violence. And they weren’t alone.
“We have this pro-insurrectionist rally coming on Sept. 18, congresswoman,” CNN’s Don Lemon said to Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley on Sept. 15. “You were there on Jan. 6 when mobs attacked. Do you feel secure now? Are you nervous about potential domestic terrorists attacking?”
“The nation’s capital prepares for potential violence this weekend at a rally protesting the arrest of rioters who took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection,” CNN’s John Berman said on Sept. 13. “We’ll take a look at the fury behind the country’s deep divide.”
“Capitol police are warning about the potential for violent clashes and unrest in an upcoming rally in support of those charged in the U.S. Capitol insurrection,” reported CNN’s Jessica Schneider on Sept. 8. “That’s according to an internal memo reviewed by CNN. The intelligence report references amped-up online chatter after the officer who fatally shot rioter Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6 went public, defending his actions. …The document warns many might view Sept. 18 as a ‘Justice for Ashli Babbitt’ rally.”
On and on it went. On the one hand, the “Justice for J6” media mania was the product of scaremongering by law enforcement, which had been embarrassed by how poorly prepared it was on Jan. 6, despite plentiful intelligence that real trouble could take place. Law enforcement hyped Sept. 18, in part, as an effort to show how well prepared they were this time. On the other hand were the credulous media outlets who have prospered selling their viewers a dark vision of “insurrection” threatening to overwhelm the U.S. government. They took the self-serving law enforcement tips and ran with them, creating a scary picture of another Jan. 6 — “Insurrection 2.0″— headed for Washington on Sept. 18.
In the end, it turned out to be nothing, or next to nothing. Now, the question is, will that experience chasten those media voices the next time there’s a chance to hype a new “insurrection”?
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