Montana Newspaper apologizes for ignoring Ron Paul

[stevedasbach]

A bit late, but nice to see some genuine regret for snubbing Ron Paul

http://www.montanakaimin.com/index.php/opinion/opinion_article/ron_paul_supporters_we_were_wrong/



Ron Paul Supporters, We Were Wrong
Sean Breslin | February 7, 2008
Montana Kaimin


Last night, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul won more delegates than any other candidate at the Missoula County Republican Caucus. Despite the now obviously high levels of support, the Montana Kaimin did not run a single article on Paul, nor did we include him in our election prediction scorecard.

To Paul supporters in Missoula, and specifically at the University of Montana, the Montana Kaimin regrets this omission.

In excluding Paul, we stifled both his message and supporters. Cutting people out of the political process is anything but democratic, as several readers have correctly pointed out.

For some national media outlets, not including Paul might have made sense. In covering political attitudes across the entire country, honing in on a low-population state that supports a non-mainstream candidate might require more resources than they are willing or able to commit. Covering candidates with more broad support makes sense at that level.

But in the weeks leading up to Montana’s caucus, local media either did not see or outright ignored Paul’s local support. The Montana Kaimin is especially guilty of this lapse because much of Paul’s support comes from college students.

Though the Kaimin may take cues from the national media (they are professionals, after all), we shouldn’t forget that they serve a very different audience than we do. Our primary area of coverage is the University of Montana, specifically its students. When it came to Ron Paul, we failed to cover that readership.

The decision to ignore Paul was consciously and deliberately made due to the fact that Paul had not generated the kind of broad-based national support that John McCain, Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee had. We, like other media outlets, viewed him as an oddball candidate, not in step with his party and without national name recognition. In retrospect, we now see these may be the very qualities that draw people to Paul.

Send that link to the MSM. Who knows -- maybe they'll rediscover that journalism is supposed to be about reporting the news, not making it.

 

[Exponent]

This is what I personally think is behind the bulk of the media ignoring Paul: They simply and truly believe that he is not who their audience, as a whole, would care to hear about. Painfully ignorant, but it's probably very easy to get stuck with a narrow and inaccurate world view when you're in media.

And if the media takes its cues largely from other media, which it does, then any subtle perspective that exists (such as considering Ron Paul fringe and kooky) will just get reinforced until its accepted by just about everyone in media, because that's what all the other people in media are saying.

It's very easy for all this to happen with no power-motivated or fear-motivated conspiracy involved at all. Certainly not acceptable either; it goes to prove how stupid many journalists and such are, at least in some respects. But it would suggest different tactics if we wanted to deal with the problem.

 

[Mortikhi]

I would still boycott that fishwrap paper.

"Oh we screwed you all over. We didn't realize there were so many of you. Please accept our apology. Would you like a subscription?"

 

[yongrel]

"Wait... there are a lot of RP supporters? Shit! We're gonna lose costumers! Quick! Run a retraction!"

 

[nodope0695]

Too little too late. Funny they waited until after super tuesday. Just like Niel Cavuto speaking kindly of RP after the damage had already been done. Phuk the media.

 

[Coola]

We have been getting pounded by Paul supporters for months but we ignored them because we are not really americans, and now that he won so well in our state, and we realize internet people are really people behind a keyboard, we hope you don't drop our paper and continue to subscribe.

In hopes of keeping our jobs, please, please keep your subscription.

eggsactly, screw that newspaper, they could only make it up by endorsing ron paul and printing at least 1 ron paul article every time they publish, along with cut out ron paul masks for the kiddies

 

[scooter]

I found this on Digg...

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Montana_Newspaper_admits_to_deliberately_ignoring_Ron_Paul

I didn't put it up.

 

[rockwell]

"...the national media (they are professionals, after all)..."

 

[TurtleBurger]

The apology is nice. Now let's see some restitution.

 

[Broken Record]

Again... this is a student run newspaper. They don't have subscriptions. It's just some journalism students trying to do the right thing by admitting a mistake.

 

[Jae0]

to little to late

 

[RPfan]

It's never too late! They can write about him now!

 

[jrich4rpaul]

Media outlet regrets ignoring Paul

http://www.montanakaimin.com/index.php/opinion/opinion_article/ron_paul_supporters_we_were_wrong/

 

[LEK]

Wow! Well, they can make up for it...he isn't going away.

 

[Joe3113]

It's bull.

They say it right after Super Tuesday. You think that's a coincidence?!

 

[sgrooms]

theyre just trying to save face

 

[Jae0]

It's bull.

They say it right after Super Tuesday. You think that's a coincidence?!

exactly

 

[Paulitical Correctness]

Yeah, cover their tracks now that ST is over. Damage is done, no reversing it.

Screw them.

 

[RPinSEAZ]

Too little, too late. Douchebags.

 

[KewlRonduderules]

F!@#$% Off!!!