Massive progressive protest forced mainstream media to air dissenting voices and defeated the Right.

Evidence

For instance, in the context of the Ground Zero Mosque controversy, several scholars and activists were given platforms within the mainstream media. On September 11, 2010, progressives far outnumbered the Islamophobia network in two parallel demonstrations in downtown Manhattan. Thousands of New Yorkers of all shades and sizes marched to oppose the Far Right, chanting, “Asalamu alaikum, Muslims are welcome here.” Because our movement grew so big and was so vocal, in the lead-up to and on the day of the protest, many dissenting voices were given time in the mainstream media. For instance, I was invited to speak on BBC’s Newshour program, broadcast around the world, as one of the media spokespersons of our coalition. The protest poster, which several of us designed, is now displayed in the Museum of the City of New York as part of its installation marking significant protest movements in the city over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. I say this not to toot my own horn but to make the point, from my own firsthand experiences, that struggle and resistance matter. Importantly, the forces of the Right who were largely bussed in from outside the city retreated in the face of a wide swath of forces coming together and standing up in opposition to their agenda. A mosque was created in downtown Manhattan in the proposed space. Through struggle, progressive actors were able to defeat the Right and, for a brief period, articulate anti-racist positions in the mainstream. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 761

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the Ground Zero Mosque controversy narrative and to broader dynamics of how movement size forces mainstream media to platform dissenting voices. — connects to: Moses’ defeat came when mass media finally covered a local protest — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 4066; Large vocal protests can force mainstream media to platform dissenters; Mass progressive protest defeated the Right and secured the Ground Zero mosque
• SEED: Angle: how protest size and visibility operationally force mainstream media gatekeeping to crack open — a case study in media-access-through-mobilization.

Broader Connections

• Mass progressive protest defeated the Right and secured the Ground Zero mosque #expands (0.92)
• Large vocal protests can force mainstream media to platform dissenters #corroborates (0.85)