Much has been made of the “citizen journalism” movement, and to a degree it’s warranted. However, much of its credit lately seems to be the mainstream morons trying to figure out how capitalize on the free news gathering of the average joe.

Their big chance, however, came over the weekend at the Cindy “I liked the president before I stopped liking him and was brainwashed by Moveon.org” Sheehan “peace rally.” Apparently, the NYPD, who has a reputation of charging into public gatherings they don’t like, busted up the rally because the great one, Cindy Sheehan, didn’t have a permit to use a PA system at Union Square.

THOUSANDS of people were there. THOUSANDS of them with cameras. Video cameras. Still cameras. Digital cameras. Camera phones. Number of pictures that back up the claims of all the articles claiming Sheehan was “roughed up?”

Zero.

John Dvorak posted a story from ABC News on his blog, and asks that very question.

In fact, in the comments of his blog, someone posted a 4 minute video of the police busting up the rally. Every camera around them was trained on the officers, and nothing was captured. Nothing. So what happened? And with all the media outlets that are playing the story that Cindy got roughed up (and in NYC, this was big news, believe me), where is the evidence?

Finally, check out Indymedia, who if there was brutality of any kind would be all over the story like white on rice, had some pictures up, but none of them violent, rampaging, etc. Not one. Rampaging NYPD. Claims of over-aggressive treatment.

Number of photos or videos backing up that statement?

Zero.

And it wasn’t for lack of documentation of the event.

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? I mean, with all these “citizen journalists” crawling all over the place, why wasn’t there more documentation of the events of the day? Actually, it doesn’t make me wonder. I already know why.

Because it didn’t happen.