Rally to Restore Sanity - Interviews with Participants

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On October 30, 2010, thousands of people gathered in the National Mall for the "Rally to Restore Sanity" called for by Jon Stewart on his show.

While participants attended for a variety of reasons, many of them raised concerns about the deteriorating state of news media, especially the hyperbolic and hyperpartisan content of 24/7 cable news networks.

Many of those who expressed concerns nonetheless cited partisan news outlets as their primary source for news, while others cited The Daily Show, something Mr. Stewart has discouraged.

Not a single participant listed their regional newspaper as a source for news, and it was telling that the majority of the people we spoke to were unaware of the details of the elections in their congressional districts (this despite many of them having already voted.)

If an intention of the "Rally to Restore Sanity" was to dissuade people from voicing divisive and paranoid political accusations, it was not enough to deter the fringe. In lieu of the Birthers common at Tea Party events, there was a small presence of 9/11 Truthers who accused the Bush administration of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks. (Doubtless, these flimsy conspiracy theorists will infest the comment threads in needless defense.)

But for the most part, the rally represented a congenial gathering of center to center-left people who are opposed to ideological purity tests and uncompromising dogmas, and who focused their blame on the divisive media coverage of political issues.

Thank you to John Rixey for the closed captions.

Produced and edited by Chase Whiteside (interviews) and Erick Stoll (camera) with additional camera from Zac Sleeth.

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[goldleader64]

I love this guy's interviews. He's bringing out a point which is lost on many. These people seem to find the motivation to attend a rally about politics because of their dissatisfaction with the media and political status quo, and yet they are too apathetic to educated themselves and participate in the political process in which they can effect change.

[pandasftuw]

@rellik1945 No he is not, Does olbermann make racist comments every episode? does he race bait and incite fear? does he compare everything to hitler? find me the CRAZIEST keith quote and I can get 10 worse from beck.

[20jandrews]

@goldleader64 first off the rally in its conception was not political motivated, second what's your city council person's name and when he or she is running?

[20jandrews]

don't give me that it's the same on both side bull donkey...one (MSNBC) side throws dirt and the other (FOX) side throws feces

[sweatyshorts]

Meanwhile, in the Third World...

[drumphuk]

@BackUpBachmann ..or more apt, "shit storm".

[BackUpBachmann]

JIM LEHRER'S NEWS HOUR!!! Well not anymore... NEWS HOUR!!!

[pinkloveslife0]

Why do you only interview the stupid extremes surfing these rallies? YOU are giving people watching this a false sense of ideas of what people in these rallies are about. And for what? Comedy? You're just as detrimental to this society as Beck or Oberman. Though I like how you are very well educated you are, I can't support what you are doing.

[c17rox]

Thank you for criticizing both sides of the political spectrum. This inherent political ignorance is a gross cultural phenomenon that must be addressed if we are to succeed as a nation.

[sneakyshadow7]

@pandasftuw I could get 1,000 worse from Beck.

[Aldridge517]

Everyone should get their news from the internet, and try their best to not rely on one source. We all know that every story has more than one perspective to it, but we forget when we group ourselves into left and right.

[officialunfocused]

If you go to these things PLEASE have a freakin idea why you support what you claim to support. This goes to any party. Some people are just plain stupid.