Ron Paul Media Blackout Confirmed by New Study
A new study published by Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism has shown that Ron Paul, the Texas congressman that has consistently polled in the high single digits, had received the least overall media coverage of any political candidate.
The study entitled, “The Media Primary: How News Media and Blogs Have Eyed the Presidential Contenders During the First Phase of the 2012 Race,” found that from May 2 to October 9, Paul has appeared as the “primary newsmaker in only 2 percent of all election stories” even though Paul has a large following and is doing well in the polls.
According to the report, the presidential candidate who has received the most media coverage of all the Republican contenders is Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. The study also suggests that Perry has been receiving the most positive coverage as well.
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The report seemed to question how the media was able to overlook Paul saying, “The difference with Paul is that he has received, by far, the most favorable coverage of any candidate in the blogosphere – 48 percent positive and only 15 percent negative.”
The study measured media exposure of candidates by compiling a list of 52 mainstream news outlets across “newspapers, cable news, broadcast television, the 12 most popular websites in the country, and radio news.”
For many Paul supporters the new report is vindication for the many months that Paul enthusiasts have been suggesting that the media is largely ignoring their candidate.
Many felt that the media largely ignored Paul this past August following his second place finish in the Ames straw poll.
After being disregarded by the media after the Ames win, some political commentators were saying that Paul has been ignored for several reasons including that he is too “iconoclastic,” that he has a “Ralph Nader problem,” and that Paul’s success does not “fit” the typical media narrative.
