Anti-Muslim film protest held in Chicago, ignored by media

The Innocence of Muslims, still taken from YouTube video
The Innocence of Muslims, still taken from YouTube video
The Innocence of Muslims, still taken from YouTube video
The Innocence of Muslims, still taken from YouTube video

Anti-Muslim film protest held in Chicago, ignored by media

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A still from the controversial film 'Innocence of Muslims' (Video still/YouTube)

Lead Story: On Sunday, protests surrounding the controversial film Innocence of Muslims reached Chicago. Rather than the violent outbursts we’ve seen overseas, this protest was a relatively small, peaceful demonstration. But don’t look for any mention of it in the local media. The closest thing I’ve seen is a paltry 58-word post on ABC 7’s website that completely left out the “who” and “where.” Instead, we get this and this. There has been some coverage of local reaction to the film, so it’s not as if the story been completely ignored here. But the poor reporting on yesterday’s protest is a huge missed opportunity. If you want to inform readers about the world around us, inform readers about the local angles of stories of international import instead of ignoring it like a problem that doesn’t bother us because it’s all happens too far away.                  

Also: We’re coming down the home stretch now: Election Day 2012 is just six weeks from Tuesday and both candidates appeared in separate interviews on 60 Minutes Sunday night. The first debate is just ten days away.    There’s a lot of ground left to cover, but things are looking better and better for President Obama. Mitt Romney’s campaign was, of course, hit hard last week by the September Surprise of his now-infamous “47 percent” remarks. But even conservative golden boy Paul Ryan took a hit last Friday when his promise to an AARP audience to repeal Obamacare was met with boos. If Nate Silver’s numbers are to be believed — and history tells us Silver’s work is worth following — then Obama seems to be slowly pulling away (and the Dems have a chance to keep control of the Senate). But as I said, a lot can happen in six weeks; my colleague Achy Obejas outlines seven things the Dems need to watch out for during that time.                                

And then: The Bears had little trouble dispensing of the St. Louis Rams 23-6 behind a sterling performance from a stout defense. The Rams were held to only 160 total yards, including just 59 on the ground (stand out runningback Stephen Jackson only had 29 yards). The offense, though, continued to struggle find its rhythym, amassing only 274 yards of their own. Quarterback Jay Cutler again struggled to a 58.9 QB rating, throwing for only 183 yards and an interception and his receiving corp continued to be plagued by dropped passes. Cutler tried to dismiss the performance, saying, in essence, a win is a win and fans and the media should stop their whining. But given what the offense is capable of — we saw it in week one against the Colts — it’s not out of the question for fans to expect more. Still, the Bears are 2-1 and have a chance to prove their mettle on national television next week when they take on Dallas on Monday Night Football.

Released: New City’s Art 50 list and Crain’s Tech 50 lists are out. I’m on neither of them. Not that I’m upset or anything at being snubbed for my Honey Boo Boo tumblr again.


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