Woodstock 1969 Media Coverage Story: The only reporter present for the first day and a half of the festival, Barnard Collier of the New York Times would later recall: “Every editor, up to the senior editor James Reston, insisted that the tone of the reporting indicate a social catastrophe in progress. It was hard to persuade them that the lack of serious incidents and the charming cooperation, thoughtfulness and fairness of so many people was the significant point. I had to refuse to write the story unless it could reflect in large part my own conviction as an eyewitness that ‘peace and love’ was the important thing , not the preconceived opinions of Manhattan reporters. After many acrimonious phone calls, the editors agreed to run the story as I intended it, and although anecdotes of traffic jams and petty illegalities were told near the beginning of the stories, my pieces were permeated by the authentic atmosphere of that gathering. After the description of the first day appeared on the front page of the New York Times, many recognized what an amazing and beautiful event was unfolding.”