Let me begin by applauding your work, Jack!
I can't comment on the media coverage because I was at the event, proudly wearing my Martin Luther King button. Yes, it irritated more than a couple of Beckbots and yes, I admit that I got a charge out of it. But the way I saw it, the National Mall belongs to everyone in America, not only the right wing. And yes, for me, August 28th was and always will be the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream speech."
Among my observations: an older woman wearing a "Restore Honor" t-shirt shoving a boy scout and yelling "you should be a shamed of yourself." Why? He was standing with a group of people who wore t-shirts (no signs) promoting civil rights, and yes, one person was wearing a pro-Obama t-shirt. None of the people in this group was doing anything but standing or sitting on the grass, talking quietly - a significant distance away from the event. As we got closer to the Lincoln Memorial the people became less diverse in a variety of ways. I'm guessing that the media reported on this thing as being about religion, and how none of the people there were political activists and how this was like a church picnic. At the actual venue, one could get that impression because the Beckbots were among others who thought and looked like themselves (translation: white). But then, how is this surprising?
There _was_ a political undertone to the event. There were Sarah Palin buttons, "I can see 2010 from my house stickers" People wearing Tea Party Patriots, Freedomworks and Don't Tread on me T-shirts. Others were wearing t-shirts with the sort of anti-Obama slogans/images that you see on signs at Tea Party events. There were a few "deport congress" t-shirts.
I grant that my observations are just that: my observations.