While the national nominating conventions have evolved over time, by 1968 there was a common pattern. Both major parties met for four days. They conducted specific business each day, with the final day being devoted to acceptance speeches. In those days, convention decisions were still heavily influenced by power brokers; primaries had yet to take over determining the delegates and the winning candidate. The 1968 convention showed that system breaking apart, with alternatives barely being born. Four major chapters are devoted to each of these days. Credentials challenges on Day One, platform on Day Two, nominations on Day Three and acceptance speeches on Day Four.
Chaos was common every single day. The networks ability to cover this chaos was compromised by Daley’s refusal to give them enough floor passes, or even good spots for their cameras. The IBEW (electrical workers) had chosen this week to go on strike, which meant fewer working wires and telephones, with no one to fix the many problems. There was also a bus strike and a taxi strike that week.
Then there were the protestors, whom Daley would have preferred not be covered at all. They were denied permits every time they asked, except once. When they refused to just go away, they were attacked by the Chicago cops, in what was later called a “police riot.” I saw some of that.
This is the backdrop for Hendershot’s story of how the networks covered the convention. As a professor of media studies, she interspersed a little bit of media history, such as how the need to process film affected coverage. You also learn who’s who in the media hierarchy and what decisions they could make. The big name anchors were important, but are only part of the story.
In a final chapter, she reviews the responses to that coverage, as well as to the convention itself. There were several reports and a few films. Daley’s Democratic Party funded its own film critique.
One result of the fallout was that Chicago wouldn’t host another Democratic Convention for almost thirty years. By then another Daley (King Richard’s son) was Mayor; he was a good friend of President Bill Clinton. I also went to that convention. This time I was inside as well as outside – as press. There wasn’t anything exciting to cover. Unlike 1968, it was rather dull.
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