Mainstream media outlets provided extensive coverage of the Women's March in the lead-up to its one-year anniversary over the weekend.
The Women's March, now a broader left-wing movement, began as a nationwide protest on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration. Activists who support women's reproductive rights, immigration reform, and LGBTQ equality, among other issues, spearheaded the rallies, which were mainly aimed at Trump himself.
Media outlets like CNN, the Washington Post, USA Today, Time magazine, and Bloomberg, among many others, extensively covered the event's one-year anniversary, when activists held the 2018 Women's March. Some outlets called the rallies "the largest single-day protest" in U.S. history. Mainstream publications also attempted to extrapolate the potential significance and political ramifications of the march and an empowered female electorate, reporting on how the event may affect the 2018 midterm elections.
These same outlets provided minimal coverage of the 45th annual March for Life, a pro-life rally with tens of thousands of activists in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump addressed the rally on Friday.
Female artists create works that reflect on what the Women’s March has changed in the past year https://t.co/BTASLVAtMW
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 19, 2018
One year after the first Women's March set records, a second march is set to take place Saturday. What were the outcomes from the 2017 march?: https://t.co/pMLhVYM0fO
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 19, 2018
Tomorrow is the 2018 Women's March. Here's what you need to know: https://t.co/chFo3x712t
— Salon (@Salon) January 19, 2018
How the Women’s March made itself indispensable https://t.co/iUOO4inSvi
— Vox (@voxdotcom) January 19, 2018
Why you could see hundreds of women running for office in 2018https://t.co/F2WcfYAKma
— TIME (@TIME) January 19, 2018
With midterm elections approaching, the theme of this year's Women's March is less outrage and more organizing, dubbed "Power to the Polls." https://t.co/Q41OAIBTA5
— NPR (@NPR) January 19, 2018
2018 could be politics's next Year of the Woman https://t.co/fII1Oy2pTg pic.twitter.com/cDIyNn7Zj7
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) January 19, 2018
CNN particularly allocated a significant amount of coverage to the Women's March and its leaders.
A Year of Resistance: An abridged timeline of a year of mobilizations and movement-building following the Women’s March on Washington. https://t.co/WeAGSQEE2b pic.twitter.com/RrAyqnwT4l
— CNN (@CNN) January 19, 2018
Women who marched, one year later: 'We are exhausted but we're here and we're still marching' https://t.co/cwepVrgYS0 pic.twitter.com/NKXX86bllS
— CNN (@CNN) January 19, 2018
As the Women's March anniversary approaches, divisions in the movement strategy emerge https://t.co/F95Nm1wE1F pic.twitter.com/InHvAa3dpf
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 18, 2018
One year ago, she marched. This year, she's a councilwoman https://t.co/bkIB2FTCnw pic.twitter.com/fBEvPuWXK5
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 19, 2018
MSNBC's "Morning Joe" devoted an entire segment of its show Friday to the impact of the march. Cindi Leive, former editor and chief of Glamour magazine, and Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, joined co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for a discussion on efforts to harness the enthusiasm of the marchers into a political movement that is capable of electing more women to local, state, and federal offices.
https://youtu.be/udJHzTxvvTA
On Saturday, Scarborough released a song entitled "Stand," which he said was inspired by "the Women's March and dedicated to those who #Resist." On the track, Scarborough sings: "Once in your life, you may get the chance to stand against a column of tanks. Holding up your hand."
https://twitter.com/JoeNBC/status/954714261095317509
The group that organized the Women's March has had its share of controversy over the past year.
In July, for example, the group tweeted a happy birthday message to Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Liberation Army who was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1977. Shakur later escaped prison and fled to Cuba, where she has been living in exile.
Happy birthday to the revolutionary #AssataShakur! Today's #SignOfResistance, in Assata's honor, is by @Meloniousfunk. pic.twitter.com/V66au1dRnl
— Women's March (@womensmarch) July 16, 2017
After the "happy birthday" tweet drew criticism from media figures and the public, the group doubled down on its statement, claiming that "the far-right was threatened" by the movement and its "solidarity with other movements."
The far right is threatened by our movement, and by our solidarity with other movements. (2/20)
— Women's March (@womensmarch) July 17, 2017
The group also claimed that Shakur is a "civil rights leader" who used her position to "challenge sexism."
#AssataShakur is a civil rights leader who used her leadership position to challenge sexism within the Black Liberation Movement. (5/20)
— Women's March (@womensmarch) July 17, 2017