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So, Just How Many Attended Beck's Rally?

Reports range from 87K all the way to 500K or more

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff | Suggested by nancyvideo

Posted Aug 29, 2010 2:21 PM CDT

(Newser) – Glenn Beck himself estimated the number of people at yesterday’s “Restoring Honor” rally at between 300,000 and 650,000. But we may never get an official answer, thanks to the politically charged nature of the question, CNN reports. The network sums up some of the wildly varied estimates:

  • CBS News: Commissioned AirPhotosLive.com, which estimated the crowd at 87,000. With a 9,000-person margin of error, the real number could be anywhere between 78,000 and 96,000.
  • NBC Nightly News: “Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands.”
  • ABC News: “More than 100,000 people.”

  • National Parks Service: According to Chuck Todd, that organization’s estimate was 300,000 to 325,000.
  • Fox News: Citing organizers, Beck’s own network estimated the crowd at “over 500,000.”
  • Michele Bachmann: “We're not going to let anyone get away with saying there were less than a million here today—because we were witnesses.”
  • New York Times: Noted that officials don’t make “controversial” crowd estimates, but acknowledged that “by any measure it was a large turnout.”
For Beck's post-rally thoughts, click here.

The crowd attending the Restoring Honor rally, organized by Glenn Beck, is seen from the base of the Washington Monument in Washington, on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.
The crowd attending the "Restoring" Honor rally, organized by Glenn Beck, is seen from the base of the Washington Monument in Washington, on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The crowd around the Lincoln Memorial attending the Restoring Honor rally, organized by Glenn Beck, is seen from the top of the Washington Monument in Washington, on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.
The crowd around the Lincoln Memorial attending the "Restoring Honor" rally, organized by Glenn Beck, is seen from the top of the Washington Monument in Washington, on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Teresa Hines of Dayton, Ohio, right, raises her arm in prayer during the Restoring Honor rally, organized by Glenn Beck, by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.
Teresa Hines of Dayton, Ohio, right, raises her arm in prayer during the "Restoring Honor" rally, organized by Glenn Beck, by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People line the reflecting pool with the US Capitol and Washington Monument in the background at the Glenn Beck Restoring Honor rally in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.
People line the reflecting pool with the US Capitol and Washington Monument in the background at the Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The crowd attending the Restoring Honor rally is seen from the top of the Washington Monument in Washington, on Aug. 28, 2010.
The crowd attending the "Restoring Honor" rally is seen from the top of the Washington Monument in Washington, on Aug. 28, 2010.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People attending the Glenn Beck 'Restoring Honor' rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010, cheer and wave American flags.
People attending the Glenn Beck 'Restoring Honor' rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010, cheer and wave American flags.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
People line the Reflecting Pool at the Glenn Beck 'Restoring Honor' rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.
People line the Reflecting Pool at the Glenn Beck 'Restoring Honor' rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 171 comments
Kant
Aug 30, 2010 10:51 PM CDT
the rational conclusion is: there are more Americans who share similar beliefs with those that attended this rally, but didn't attend the rally. Conclusion: The actual attendance of the "rally" may be inconsequential ...until November. But, by all mean, continue arguing how many were actually there. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
Observer
Aug 30, 2010 7:04 PM CDT
The aerial counters are accurate. They know how many people at what density fit into a known space. 87,000 gullible, fearful, uninformed people. All white.
KarenJ
Aug 30, 2010 3:47 PM CDT
RE: the bullet point above, "National Parks Service: According to Chuck Todd, that organization’s estimate was 300,000 to 325,000.": Yeah, I backtracked that statement to Chuck Todd's actual Tweet, and he referenced "DomenicoNBC", whose Tweets about crowd numbers went like this: _____________________________________ 
There won't be official #s. Parks Svc/police don't do that anymore. But official at top
of memorial said 300-325K. There are a LOT of people
9:07 AM Aug 28th via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@thejoshuablog these things are a crap shoot. An NPS official looking out on the mall gave 
me an unofficial estimate of 300-325.
4:35 PM Aug 28th via Twitter for BlackBerry® in reply to thejoshuablog

Crowd estimates are always crapshoots. NPS official had given me the [unofficial!] estimate 
they were working w-300-325. All I know is it was a LOT of ppl
4:38 PM Aug 28th via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@joshuablog @mlcalderone I attributed to one official and said they don't do official 
numbers anymore: http://bit.ly/cEMRH4
4:58 PM Aug 28th via web
_________________________ But did Chuck Todd make that "unofficial estimate" point clear? Nooooo...

 
Glenn Beck • Restoring Honor • Glenn Beck rally

 
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