Are badgers more important than the TUC to the Observer?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2012/oct/28/big-issue-observer-tuc-rally

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Well, Observer, I hate to admit it but I'm clearly not as young as I was and I'm knackered. Up at 5.30am, marching for three hours, attending a rally and getting home at 9.30pm. A long day at the TUC demonstration in London for "a future that works". Was it worth it? I think so but it's always useful to get a wider view, so I was looking for an insightful analytical piece in the Observer. Not a sausage. Well over 100,000 people and it's not worth a line. Admittedly, I'm cream-crackered, so I might have missed it but I don't think so. Shame, Observer, shame. Gwyn Fields Sheffield

In order to maintain the reputation of the Observer for fair and balanced journalism, may I point out that there was a march in central London on Saturday, 20 October, which the Metropolitan Police estimated to have numbered more than 100,000 people?

In Hyde Park, these demonstrators were addressed by the leader of the Labour party, Len McCluskey of Unite and other prominent trade union leaders. Although this news item was obviously not as important as your fascinating items on "Badger cull under threat from legal challenge" and "Graphic images that highlight the trade killing our rhinos", I am sure that it would have been of interest to many of your readers. I will be pleased to inform you of any similar events in the future, should they occur. George Barratt Councillor (Independent), London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

I was very disappointed to find only two short paragraphs devoted to the TUC-organised march and rally, on page 7 at the end of an article on internal problems within the coalition.

While it is important to know that the former Tory chairman believes the coalition is a "dog of a government", it is unlikely Norman Tebbit will suffer the consequences of its "lack of basic competence". Yet the Observer chose to ignore the views of more than 100,000 people who attended the rally in order to express their concerns about the devastating impact of the government's economic policies.

Young people, senior citizens, people in wheelchairs, the employed and unemployed were there, with stories to tell about how their lives and those of families and friends are being affected by coalition policies. People are being placed in crisis, with the most vulnerable suffering the most. Protest marches such as this rely on the media to represent the views and reflect the moods of those present. I cannot understand why the Observer chose not to do this. Wendy Neville Keighley, Yorkshire

I took up reading the Observer more than 35 years ago. Imagine, then, my surprise that there was not a single word about a social and political event involving hundreds of thousands of British people demonstrating for a future in the face of the despair this government perpetuates.

I do not want to read a newspaper that mirrors my beliefs: I want to be challenged and occasionally infuriated by either rival arguments or skewed reporting, but of all newspapers I would have trusted you to provide at the least token coverage or, more likely, an in-depth profile of the event and some of the people participating. What happened? Tony Hughes Warwick

• The editor writes: We did cover Ed Miliband's address to the rally in our lead story and the Observer has devoted more news, feature and opinion space to the impact of the government's cuts than any other Sunday newspaper over the past two years.

Additionally, we have run many Focus pieces highlighting the effect on ordinary people's lives, while the Business team has calculated the cost to the economy. And our commentators have been especially vocal in articulating their criticisms of the government's economic strategy.

However, I accept that we could, and probably ought to, have devoted more space to the rally.

In addition, we were the only news organisation covering the protest with a live blog, and we produced two films on the day's events.