"Protesters" vs. "Anarchists" — OWS Media Coverage and the Politics of Language

Labeling, and the politics of language is critical to the media coverage of Occupy right now. Notice in this caption how the Oakland Trib refers to the guy busting the bank window as a “protester” — making him and his behavior a lot less distinguishable from the non-violent Occupy movement — than the Getty photo/caption at Zimbio clearly labeling the guy as a “anarchist.”

If you look at the video from Oakland last night — which I address in our post on Occupy’s self-policing — the “violent 1%-ers,” who I called “the black shirts” are clearly identifiable as such. The fact the media is behind-the-curve in making that differentiation is very dangerous when it comes to informing the public as to what Occupy is truly about.