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The indelible photo-op of the second half of last week was as violent and chaotic as the indelible photo-op of the first week was peaceful and orderly. The symbol of the earlier, successful, occupation of Tahrir Square had been the sight of masses of protestors, in the middle of a bridge across the River Nile, shaming riot police into inaction by praying en masse (on ABC, on CBS, on NBC) in front of them. Its counterpart on Wednesday was the sight of partisans of Mubarak's repressive regime careening through the crowd on horseback and astride camels, whips flailing, hooves flying (on ABC, on CBS, on NBC). The protestors scattered. A pitched nightlong battle ensued, with fires flaring from Molotov cocktails and pavement ripped up to make missiles for stone-throwers.
The upshot of peaceful protest degenerating into street battle was that both broadcast anchors--NBC's Brian Williams and CBS' Katie Couric--abandoned their quest to be on hand when history was made and retreated to their desks back in New York City. "The atmosphere suddenly turned sour and toxic," lamented NBC's Williams before heading off to Amman on his way home. NBC had turned its newscast into a special edition, entitled Rage and Revolution, for the first four days of the week.
ABC's Christiane Amanpour showed us her driver's broken windshield, shattered after crowds assured her they literally hated her; her colleague David Muir narrated how his cameraman Akram abi-Hanna was carjacked and threatened with beheading. NBC's Lester Holt had his car blocked: "You talk about turning on a dime. It is whiplash."
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