Foster letter: Rally coverage

I was one of the organizers of the Nov. 21 rally for refugee solidarity at the Capitol. I am writing to express my profound disappointment in the news coverage of the event. Not only was the side of xenophobia and hate the main subject of nearly every report on the event, the coverage failed to show nearly anything but representatives of that side calmly reciting talking points. Absent were the sides crying for the deportation of all Muslims. Invisible were the signs with slurs, and their all-too-common insistence that the president is an “Islamic plant.” Absent was coverage of the nearly two tons of food and clothing donation the solidarity side collected. Absent was coverage of volunteers spending over 10 hours sorting and packaging those donations for delivery.

Boise saw prepackaged, whitewashed statements from a refugee opposition, whose numbers were very clearly overstated by a factor of nearly 300 percent. And one whose silver-tongued representative waited until cameras disappeared to lean out a passing truck and declare his true beliefs in the issue by yelling, “Boo, no refugees.”

Boise deserved better.

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 11:12 PM with the headline "Foster letter: Rally coverage."