Media Bias? You Bet!
Murray Sabrin
The initial and subsequent media reporting of the first GOP presidential candidates’ debate at the Reagan Library on May 3rd can only best be described as biased and disingenuous. The AP reported that all 10 GOP candidates support the Iraq War. Not true. Rep. Ron Paul opposed the invasion of Iraq.
As to who “won” the debate, virtually most of the Establishment commentators asserted that Mitt Romney or John McCain stood out above Rudy Giuliani and the second-tier candidates. However, some analysts such as John McLaughlin of the McLaughlin Group stated that Ron Paul “gave the best performance.”
Moreover, on numerous on-line polls, including MSNBC which aired the live debate, Ron Paul either won the debate or was ahead of most of the top three candidates. And yet the media have virtually blacked out Ron Paul’s debate performance and his support on the Internet.
Even Yahoo News omitted Ron Paul on its list of GOP presidential candidates. ABC News stopped posting comments from Ron Paul supporters. After an outpouring of emails and phone calls from Paul supporters, Yahoo now includes Ron on its presidential candidate page. ABC News halted posts supporting Ron Paul until it too got an avalanche of criticism. Posts about Ron Paul are now being published again.
A recent post on ABC News’ Political Discussion board stated:
ABC and other news organizations risk being completely irrelevant if they think they can ignore the grassroots support of Ron Paul. I didn't spend four years in the military so ABC news could tell me what candidate I should vote into office. It isn't Orwell’s 1984 yet, as much as they'd like it to be.
Here’s another post on ABC:
I'm sure the powers to be are terrified of Ron Paul at the moment. This will be the first presidential election with these large collectives of independent media creators (youtube, bloggers, etc) being such a large influence. It is the most level playing field to date and Ron Paul is the only contender with a shot at the presidency that hasn't already been bought out.
This is just a very small sample of Ron Paul’s passionate supporters. Ron’s commitment to limited government and a noninterventionist foreign policy is a huge threat to America’s political and economic elites. That’s why the grassroots support is building for Ron Paul, a phenomenon that the Mainstream Media (MSM) will not acknowledge. The elites do not want to upset the status quo—a status quo that is supported by the MSM.
Tuesday’s coming GOP debate in South Carolina could confirm yet again the media bias against Ron Paul. Or, the MSM will finally throw in the towel and proclaim Ron one of the top tier candidates.
In the final analysis, the American people’s passion for liberty and the Internet will propel Ron Paul to the GOP presidential nomination. Or, the MSM and their handlers, America’s economic and political elites, will do everything in their power to derail Ron Paul’s march to the White House. We are now witnessing the proverbial David and Goliath battle. And we know how the first battle ended.
Murray Sabrin, Ph.D., is professor of finance in the Anisfield School of Business, Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he is executive director of the Center for Business and Public Policy.