What They Don't Tell You

A Complete Media Blackout of a Massive Washington D.C. Protest, What Will it Take for the Media to Change Their Ways?

Iranian, Israeli, and Trump Flags all Flew Together, and the Media Didn’t Even Cover It

Sunday, April 13th, 2025: By, Walter Curt

What if I told you that on Palm Sunday, there was one of the most striking displays of American patriotism and unity in a single rally right in front of the White House—yet it received absolutely no media coverage? Thousands of demonstrators gathered in downtown Washington, D.C., to oppose the Iranian IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and to show their support for the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. This rally had been planned months in advance, with attendees even flying in from Europe, top-tier speakers on the roster, and a well-organized security detail. Still, it was entirely ignored by every major media outlet.

I’d like to pose a question: When was the last time you heard about a rally of thousands, held directly in front of the White House, that went uncovered by any mainstream network? Today, not a single legacy media outlet covered the Anti-IRGC rally. In fact, I genuinely believe I might have been the only journalist there who wasn’t directly affiliated with the event. And I wasn’t even supposed to be there—I just happened to be in D.C. for the weekend and went downtown to photograph the Emancipation Day Parade. Instead, I stumbled upon a massive crowd waving Iranian and Israeli flags. The sight was impossible to miss. It was a large, vibrant gathering that obviously required permits and months of planning. Yet there was no coverage, no CNN cameras, no Fox affiliates, nobody. Just me, an independent investigative journalist who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

I spoke with at least a dozen attendees, and they all asked me the same kinds of questions: Did I know what was going on? Did I know who Reza Pahlavi was? And my personal favorite—“Do you lie like all the other media?” For the record: no, ma’am, I do not lie. I report what I see, and what I saw today was astonishing. Several thousand people had come together in a peaceful, organic show of support for the Iranian people, complete with singing, dancing, chanting—and they were met with a deafening silence from the legacy media. Why? Because it was peaceful, patriotic, and didn’t fit the pre-approved narratives.

I was the only American media representative there, and I quickly ran out of business cards because so many people wanted to talk. Every single attendee was grateful I was there, and they all understood—even expected—that the mainstream outlets would ignore them. “It doesn’t fit their narrative. They do not want the actual voice of the Iranian people publicized,” one attendee said to me.

Now, I generally have zero trust in legacy media, but I still expect them to at least pretend to cover major events. This one was right on Pennsylvania Avenue, practically at the White House gates, with thousands of people waving flags and chanting “USA! USA!” Yet there was nothing. Not a single mention on any major channel, and not a single other journalist on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) talking about it. How is that possible?

One could argue that maybe this was a new organization, or their PR team hadn’t promoted the event properly. Yet that’s extremely unlikely. The organizers brought in attendees from across the globe, had top-tier speakers (including Erik Finman), and helped introduce a House resolution called the “Maximum Support Act,” sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson, to reinforce sanctions on the IRGC and back the people of Iran. A group that can accomplish those things knows how to promote an event. And permits, security arrangements, and other rally logistics are public information. There’s no way journalists in D.C.—where there are thousands of credentialed reporters—didn’t know this was happening. The reality is that the word must have gone out: do not cover this rally.

It’s not shocking to those of us who have been paying attention in recent years. Patriotism and peaceful protest simply aren’t highlighted by our media. They only show up if violent mobs are burning down stores or chanting about how fascist someone else is. This rally might as well have been a Trump event for the kind of apathy it generated in the press. But this trend needs to end, and it will only end if journalists everywhere step up and do their jobs: report what is happening, regardless of their personal politics. Stop pushing agendas and just tell the truth so Americans can make up their own minds.

This rally supported Reza Pahlavi and opposed the IRGC. Pahlavi has been exiled since 1979, and his popularity has grown over the years. Polls indicate his support inside Iran could be anywhere from 40 to 80 percent of the population, but exact numbers aren’t the main point here.

The main point is that when thousands of people gather in front of the White House on a beautiful day, waving flags and chanting about a very current geopolitical conflict, journalists should be there to inform the public. That’s our job. And yet it was left entirely to the independents. Legacy media once again failed to report the truth. If there’s any lesson here, it’s that independent voices matter now more than ever—and that real journalism only thrives when individuals refuse to look away from a story, even when everyone else is ignoring it.