Rally. Police now estimate 150,000. Say that 200,000 is possible. San Francisco Chronicle.

Check out the write-up I did here:

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2003/01/26717.php

Notice the photograph of the Ferry building? That photo was taken by a helicopter, and the photo has a Chronicle copyright credit, which means they got that and many other photos from the same helicopter -- they commissioned the photos.

So what?

Well, it strongly suggests that they chose a photograph that would distort the reader impression and support the notion of "tens of thousands" attending, in keeping with the editorial spin of their article.

The use of distorted/cropped images is quite common in the media. U.K. journalist Robert Fisk has presented a few examples in the last year that are really surprising.

Excellent. Maybe your initial Jan 19 message comparing helicopter photos embarrassed the Chronicle into seeking a more honest crowd size estimate from the police spokesperson. Thanks!

On the SFGate, the SF Comical's web site, was a simple question: "Why did the crowd estimates for Saturday's protest vary so widely?"

The graphic is included here, and the only possibilities the Chron can come up with pit organizers versus police: there's not even an option for "Other." How typical for the Chron to ignore its own record of underreporting, and ignoring completely, nearly every popular protest in San Francisco. Instead of the Chron providing an honest alternative to its choices, such as "Corporate media is biased in favor of its advertisors," readers get the barely humorous choice: "Unlike the 60's, this time the cops were hallucinating."

Think about this next time you see corporate media's newsrags tossed in the street.

Was there any effort to count all the fashionable SUVs that were driven to the ralley? I bet its a bunch. Don't these gas sucking owners know that if we don't go to war then they are going to have to start paying a lot more for their oil fix?

They are hipocrits and don't even know it.

Sounds like many people took BART mass transit. According to the many comments to the original helicopter photo article:
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/01/1562069_comment.php

Thanks eco man.  Yes, the subway systems were totally flooded.  Many people were using them to get to and from the protest.  I've never seen them so packed.  It was a festive zoo :-)   

The comment about SUVs above isn't presented in a way that supports dialog towards making things better, but rather, is divisive in tone.  I therefore suspect it's nothing more than skillful agitprop -- although not quite as bad as stock phrases and arguments like "America, love it or leave it," it's cut from a similar cloth.  Adam Z might mean well and I might be mischaracterizing his views and motives.  But it's clear that that exact argument/statement is posted often by right-wing folks just trying to stir things up.

The people that attended the protest are VERY hip to the oil/SUV connection.  They are far more closer to behavior changes in their own lives that help address the problem. Are they perfect?  Heck no.  It's hard to change one's lifestyle or have a different lifestyle at all times.  The system is set-up to make it hard to be anything but a hypocrite!  But the fact is, the larger issues and blame are found elsewhere.

Most in the progressive and left movements know that we need better public transportation systems, that we need cars that are vastly more fuel efficient (and ultimately zero-emission).  But many of these same people also know that automobile technology has been suppressed in the interest of oil and transportation industry profits, that our military economy is well over 50% of the national expenditure of our tax dollars and is totally distorting our entire economic system.

Yes, SUVs are a problem Adam Z.  But the bigger problems are imminently obvious to a vast number of people.

I'll leave you with a SF Jan 18th photo from http://la.indymedia.org/news/2003/01/26811.php