Ron Paul has officially surpassed Michele Bachmann in the GOP presidential nomination race, according to a recent poll. Now I know he’s technically a Republican, but I feel like he aligns with Libertarian views quite well, and as far as I can tell no one would argue with that. However, there is one HUGE problem that this article touches on that I think needs to be explored further.
Ron Paul is getting virtually no media coverage.
How is this possible? After the debate in Iowa, Bachmann was all over the news. But then again, she aligns better with conservative viewpoints - so people are more interested in what she has to say. Ron Paul has some different views than most Americans, and the general public isn’t so interested in him. At least that’s what I think. It’s about ratings.
However, I also think there’s more to it. Ordinary conservatives could feel threatened by someone with a more Libertarian lean and not want to give someone they see as a threat any coverage. More liberal leaning networks/newspapers might feel the same way - he’s a threat. He isn’t a traditional conservative, and therefore he they don’t want to give him publicity because people might see this difference and vote for him over Obama.
Now I’m almost as liberal as they come, but reporting, especially political reporting, cannot be biased. There isn’t room for it. We live in a democracy, which means that people should be able to decide who they want to vote for. Just because I believe my opinions are what’s right, maybe I’m wrong, and that’s why decisions are made by everyone - to correct individual mistakes. I don’t personally think that Ron Paul is the right person to lead our country, but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t know about him. As an aspiring political reporter, I firmly believe that each candidate should be reported on - not only is it fair, but it also allows people to actually have an idea of who the candidates are and why they should be voting for them.
The moral of the story: Get your biases out of the way and give everyone equal coverage - it’s what the candidates and the people deserve.
Hey guys, here’s something I posted on my personal news blog. I figured I’d repost it here as well, because it’s an issue I feel pretty strongly about. It’s important to keep your eyes open and make sure you do your research before you go out and vote. Political ads don’t count - too much fact-bending and mudslinging.
