Conrad Hilton Hotel

The Role of Media in 1968 DNC & Anti-War Protests:

The majority of the delegates to the 1968 National Democratic Convention stayed at the Conrad Hilton Hotel. When protesters against the Vietnam War were unable to get close to the International Amphitheater, where the convention was being held, the protesters took their demonstration to the Hilton. When police moved in to clear the crowd, all hell broke loose. And the TV cameras were right there to capture the chaos for 90 million Americans, almost 50% of the total population, who were watching. The media coverage which captured the violence outside the Hilton, as well as the mayhem ensuing within the convention hall, became an integral part of the story of the 1968 DNC and the Chicago riots. Televised scenes of police beating up demonstrators outside the Hilton, and heavy-handed security measures being exercised inside the rowdy convention hall, were initially seen by many as a case of extreme suppression tactics aimed at those who were opposed to the Vietnam War and American policy. Public reaction to the way the Television Networks presented the story differed. It turned out that the majority of Americans believed the media was biased in favor of trouble making and unpatriotic demonstrators, and that the police were doing what they had to do. Some historians believe this coverage of the polarization of America resulted in a set-back to the anti-war movement and the eventual victory of Nixon and the Republicans over Humphrey and the Democrats in the 1968 election.

Media coverage of national political conventions had become big business by the 1960’s. Over 90 million Americans, roughly 50% of the total population, would be watching the DNC in Chicago in 1968. 

As the media descended on Chicago in August, they did not find a friendly environment. There was an electrical workers strike underway in Chicago which would limit live television coverage to inside the convention center at the International Amphitheater. Many in the media felt Mayor Daley purposely allowed the strike to linger so as to limit the media’s coverage. Daley was not a fan of the mainstream media. He felt it was liberally biased and he was concerned about how they would portray the way Chicago was going to handle the convention and the protests.

The atmosphere inside the International Amphitheater was stifling. Not enough floor press passes were issued. Security tried to restrict the media coverage on the floor, and multiple incidents of reporters getting roughed up by security were broadcast.

It was worse on Michigan Ave outside the Hilton. While many peaceful protesters or innocent bystanders were attacked on the night of August 28, it appeared as if the police were especially out to get the press. Some 20% of all news people were attacked, whether physically or with tear gas. 63 newsmen reported getting violated, and 13 had their equipment damaged. 

Fixed video cameras outside the Hilton captured police clubbing, macing, and tear-gassing the crowd, seemingly indiscriminately. There was so much tear gas used that its effects were felt by residents inside the Hilton Hotel.  

Videotapes of what could only be called police brutality was shown at the convention at the same time the American public was seeing it. The image that sits in most people’s memory – again and again, an out-of-control policeman clubbing a young, defenseless citizen, while the protesters sit on Michigan Avenue chanting, “the whole world is watching.”

Within the convention hall, the media captured a memorable confrontation between Senator Ribicoff of Connecticut and Mayor Daley. Ribicoff, while nominating George McGovern, castigated the “Gestapo” tactics being used by the Chicago police out on the streets. Cameras then caught Mayor Daley indignantly yelling back at Ribicoff, possibly cursing at him and using a racial slur.

Officially, the Walker Report labelled the violence in Chicago during the DNC as “a police riot.” That is certainly the impression one gets when one views the pictures and videos from the event. Yet the majority of Americans at the time saw it otherwise. They were tired of violence in the streets of America. They held the police in the highest esteem. They were fed up with foul mouthed, ungrateful, young people badmouthing their country. They wanted a more orderly and respectful country. The result was the election of Richard Nixon in November 1968.

Culbert, David. Television's Visual Impact on Decision Making in the USA, 1968: The Tet Offensive and Chicago's DNC. Journal of Contemporary History, Sage Publications, Inc. , vol. 33, no. 3. Published July 1st, 1998.

1968 Chicago Protest. Economist. August 31st, 2018.

Hendershot, Heather. How 'Fake News' Was Born at the 1968 DNC. Politico Magazine. September 2nd, 2018.

Sealock, Miriam. The Use and Abuse of Police Power in America: Historical Milestones and Current Controversies "Chicago Police During the 1968 Democratic National Convention". ABC-Clio, 2017.