(MintPress) — Record breaking protests in Mexico and Spain this week are illustrating unrest among citizens who want to change the course of their countries’ futures, yet media coverage has largely left the movements in the dark, failing to highlight the dissent and demonstrations that have drawn in crowds of 100,000 people.
Aerial photos of protests in both countries show jaw-dropping images of downtown streets lined with people stretching miles, closing off major roadways and creating an image impossible to ignore.
In Spain, police estimate 100,000 residents took to the streets in opposition to austerity measures and in solidarity with mine workers, who say cuts to subsidies on the industry will leave them out of work — contributing to the already high 25 percent unemployment rate.
In Mexico, 50,000 residents took to the streets of Mexico City claiming their most recent election, in which Revolutionary Party (PRI) candidate Enrique Pena Nieto allegedly won, was a sham, claiming his party bought votes — as many as 3 million — and ran away with the election. Allegations of vote buying schemes include awarding gift cards to grocery store Soriana Super to those who voted or promised to vote for Nieto.
With so many people reaching a breaking point and sacrificing to take their message to the streets — and world — those within the movement are wondering why their widespread movements aren’t making headlines.
Activists covering the events have claimed YouTube videos posted of protests have been taken down, alleging that governments have requested a blackout on images that show the reality on the ground.
Some YouTube videos, however, remain online. One video showing protests in Mexico on July 7 shows swaths of residents marching through Mexico City. Another shows a city square occupied by tens of thousands of protesters, chanting and waving signs in opposition to the recent election. While the video had garnered 30,000 views, its done so through social networking — not mainstream coverage.
Writing for Fox News Latino, journalist and founder of Latinaish.com, Tracy Lopez, accuses the media of failing to cover the monumental events, saying “the news media has been largely quiet.” She specifically names two large Mexican media organizations, Televisa and TV Azteca, for failing to give credence to the protests. Lopez said it’s no mystery as to why this is.
The homepages for both news organizations Friday lacked photos of protests.
“Accusations that the media has been bought off by the PRI are supported by U.S. State Department documents, leaked by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico and released by Wikileaks,” she writes. “The contents of the documents include concerns that PEna Nieto paid for favorable TV coverage as far back as 2009.”
Aside from the column, a search on Fox Latino’s site did not reveal a story on the protests.
Investigative journalist Andrew Kennis said in an interview with Russia Today that activists were also marching against the mainstream media in the country for that very reason. Through their own means of social media, activists spread the word through Twitter (#MegaMarcha) and Facebook.
Protests in Spain did grab the attention of major media outlets, including CNN and Fox News, but reports by CNN did not highlight the number of people involved in the protests — 100,000, according to police.
CNN reports focused on clashes between mine workers and police, which resulted in the injuries of more than 70 people caught in the midst of battles, which included rubber bullets dispersed by police. Another CNN reports focuses on who the protesters are, many of whom are not activists, but average citizens interested in change.
MSNBC has covered the protests, with a focus not on the widespread demonstrations, but more specifically on the issues activists, including mine workers, oppose.
An AFP photo shows a protester holding a sign written in English that reads, “Tell everyone around the world that democracy in Mexico is a fraud.”