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NYT caption ? "Protesters assembled outside a door that the police were blocking at the Wisconsin Capitol on Wednesday" ? wilfully obscures that the mob overran the police last night and took over the building.

And look at that photograph ? illustrating what is their main article on the Wisconsin protest right now! A noble state trooper stands calmly on the inside, while 3 gentle, wistful individuals peer in through the windows of the securely closed doors. A nice lesson in how to lie with photographs and captions. Scroll down to see our coverage of the anarchic doings at the Capitol. Protesters came through the windows and doors last night, hooting and stampeding and sending the police into retreat.

The NYT article begins...

CHICAGO ? A bill sharply curtailing collective bargaining rights for government workers in Wisconsin is due for a vote in the State Assembly on Thursday morning, where it is all but sure to pass. The State Senate approved similar legislation Wednesday with only Republican members casting votes; the chamber?s Democratic minority, who fiercely oppose the measure, remain out of the state.

Chicago! What about the mob scene? Well, there's this in paragraph 6:

Democrats in the State Assembly complained bitterly, and protesters, who had spent many days at the Capitol, continued their chants and jeers.

Uh, yeah. Chants and jeers... And taking over the building, climbing in windows? Nothing. The article goes on, but there's nothing more about the protests, and NYT readers are left with the inane, deceptive image of that photograph and caption.

UPDATE, March 10, 12:36 CT: The photograph, caption, and headline at the above link have all changed now. The picture discussed above, with its caption, can be seen here. The new first paragraph of the story ? which now has the dateline "MADISON, Wis." ? is:

As thousands of demonstrators converged on the Capitol, the police cut off access to the building on Thursday, creating a taut atmosphere in which Republican State Assembly members were seeking to maintain order long enough to vote on a bill that sharply curtails bargaining rights for government workers.

Cut off access? But they stormed in last night, overwhelming the police, and they were blocking legislators access to offices and the Assembly chamber this morning. I just heard by phone from Meade that 100 protesters had to be removed (presumably by police) from the antechamber to the Assembly chamber. The NYT paragraph makes it sound as though the police maintained control, but they absolutely did not. And "taut atmosphere"? Ridiculous downplaying of the chaotic scenes that have been unfolding for the last 18 hours.

Full post as published by Althouse on March 10, 2011 (boomark / email).