On some days, you could call Associated Press just Associated Press Release. On Friday, they prepared everyone for the leftist protests coming on Saturday with a pseudo-explainer headlined "What to know about ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump’s policies."
Nowhere in this 17-paragraph article is a single ideological label -- liberal, leftist, progressive, socialist, not even "Democrat." They're just "opponents." They certainly weren't "extremists," even though the PBS News website illustrated AP with a woman holding a sign that said "The Trump Fascist Regime MUST GO NOW!" That's not how democracy works.
You can call Trump a "fascist" and be treated as non-ideological. Seattle-based "National Flex Reporter" Lisa Baumann began:
Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration are set to rally in hundreds of cities on Saturday during the military parade in Washington to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary, which coincides with Trump’s birthday.
The “No Kings” protests are set to take place to counter what organizers say are Trump’s plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday and Flag Day. “No Kings” will follow several days of nationwide protests against federal immigration raids including in Los Angeles, where Trump’s deployment of the National Guard further agitated his opponents.
So not only does the AP refuse to accept "Gulf of America" as a real name, they routinely refuse to use "liberal" or "leftist."
Then the article answers a series of promotional questions, starting with "Why is it called 'No Kings'?"
The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of everyday Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
They're not objective when they call the leftists "everyday Americans who stand for democracy" instead of "leftists." They're not objective when they don't question the idea that Trump is a king, as if he wasn't elected, and as if he never has his agenda thwarted by federal judges.
This whole article is just a set of talking points, helpfully laying out what "organizers say" their protest is.
Why are they protesting on Saturday?
The No Kings Day of Defiance has been organized to reject authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarization of the country’s democracy, according to a statement by organizers.
Organizers intend for the protests to counter the Army’s 250th anniversary celebration — which Trump has ratcheted up to include an expensive, lavish military parade....
“No Kings” plans instead to hold a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia to draw a clear contrast between its people-powered movement and what organizers described on their website as the “costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade” in Washington.
When a "reporter" regurgitates that these leftists are a "people-powered movement," you can tell it's an "AP-powered movement."
