COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Protesters Shutting Down the Subway? Depends on What You Watch

Much of what is said on television about the Occupy Wall Street movement is opinion. Some is factual. And sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference.

On Wednesday morning, as protesters tried unsuccessfully to shut down Wall Street, the anchors for the Fox TV station in New York City said several times that the protesters were also planning to “shut down” the subway system in the city later in the day. The anchors discussed no evidence of such a plan, however, and some protest organizers have said that no such plan exists, that the goal is to gather at various subway stations and hand out flyers.

Asked about the sourcing of the station’s information, a spokeswoman for the Fox station, WNYW-TV, said, “It’s been reported elsewhere and we addressed it this morning during this interview with York City Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway.” In the interview, Mr. Holloway said the city was “advising New Yorkers to stay informed” about possible subway disruptions.

Literature distributed in advance by the Occupy Wall Street organizers distinguished between an attempt to “shut down” Wall Street in the morning and “occupy” the subway in the afternoon. The New York Times reported that “at 3 p.m., according to a Web site for the group, demonstrators will gather at 16 transit hubs across the city — including Union Square in Manhattan, Fordham Road in the Bronx and Broadway Junction in Brooklyn — and protest in the company of train travelers.”

But the planned protests were described much more ominously, at times, by the anchors on WNYW.

“This is a big deal,” the Fox co-anchor Greg Kelly said as his newscast started at 7 a.m. Wednesday. “We have thousands of protesters that have indicated they are going to try to shut down the subway system as well, and occupy sixteen transit hubs across the five boroughs.” Mr. Kelly and his co-anchor, Rosanna Scotto, spoke of indications of a “shut down” plan three other times that hour.

At 8 a.m., Mr. Kelly, who is the son of Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, said of the protesters on Wall Street: “Right now they’re kind of milling about. But the word is that they intend to shut down or attempt to shut down the New York Stock Exchange and vast portions of the New York City transit system.”

Around 8:30 a.m. Ms. Scotto said she was “getting a lot of tweets” about the protests and read one from Melody Carr on the air: “How is shutting down everything such as subways going to help the #OWS? it’s going to make the rest of the 99% upset w/them.”

Mr. Kelly weighed in. “So far,” he said, “they’ve focused their ire at the wealthy and those who support them, but when they start to shut down the commuting system for folks who are on their way to work, that’s something else.”

A few minutes later, Ms. Scotto cited Twitter messages as saying that the protesters might just be planning a “teach-in” rather than a disruption.

According to a search of transcripts of local broadcasts, other stations in New York City briefly suggested that the protesters might try to shut down the transit system, but not to the same extent as the Fox station.

The comments about shutting down the subway continued into the 9 a.m. hour on WNYW, though no protesters or reporters were shown on screen backing up the comments.

“They have talked about trying to shut down a portion of the mass transit system,” Mr. Kelly said around 9:30 a.m. As he wrapped up the program at 10 a.m., he repeated the warning. “And don’t forget, this afternoon at about 3 o’clock, according to various Occupy Wall Street media, they may attempt to shut down portions of the New York City mass transit system.”

Ms. Scotto added, “Or just hand out flyers, depending on who you talk to.” http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/deputy-mayor-cas-holloway-20111117

Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway On OWS Protests: MyFoxNY.com

MYFOXNY.COM - New York City Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway spoke with Good Day New York about the Occupy Wall Street protests.

OWS protesters planned a busy day of protests all around the city Thursday to mark the two-month anniversary of the movement.

'We're advising people to stay informed. Our focus is on being prepared. We're working with the MTA. We'll be able to handle whatever comes. Remember this is New York City.'

'There are more than 600 protests south of 59th Street every year,' said Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway during Good Day New York on Thursday.

Complete Occupy Wall Street Coverage

Scuffles broke out Thursday morning during a day of action called by the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement as protesters battled police in New York's financial district, blocking city traffic and leading to several arrests.

Police faced off with protesters at the corner of Nassau and Pine streets, where the protesters sat on the ground blocking traffic. Several of the protesters were pulled to their feet and hauled away.

The Occupy Wall Street movement had called on members to shut down Wall Street on Thursday.

The mob is marking the two-month anniversary of OWS movement.

The march on Wall Street was slated to start at 7 a.m. but started much later from the starting point near Zuccotti Park.