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Subscribe to RSSAt the risk of annoying supporters of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who believe — and argue fervently — that the mainstream news media don't pay attention to their candidate, it must be noted that Twitter and Facebook don't, either.
Accusations that news organizations are ignoring Paul's presidential campaign are an organizing principle of his supporters, who take to Facebook and Twitter to complain that the only reason Paul isn't leading is a "media blackout."
Every day, hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of comments like this appear:
Twitter.com
 M. Alex Johnson is a reporter for msnbc.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. |
In fact, Paul's rally was covered by the major St. Louis media (here, here and here, for example), but never mind that — perception matters in politics. And the perception in some quarters is that the media are actively trying to sink Paul's campaign.
That sentiment makes up about 10 percent of posts about Paul this year, according to msnbc.com's computer-assisted analysis of a sample of 9 million Twitter and Facebook posts that have mentioned one of the four major Republican candidates through Friday.
(The analysis uses a tool called ForSight, a data platform developed by Crimson Hexagon Inc., which is used by many media and research organizations to gauge public opinion in new media, among them the Pew Research Center and ESPN. The results aren't a scientific reflection of national opinion. Instead, they're a broad look at what is being said by Americans who follow politics and are active on Facebook, Twitter or both.)
Since the beginning of the year, Paul and his campaign have been mentioned about 1.1 million times on Twitter or Facebook:
Crimson Hexagon Inc.
Click to enlarge
The top line quantifies total mentions of Ron Paul on Twitter and Facebook since Jan. 1. The shaded blue are counts those that specifically take a position on him.
Here's the problem: Over the same time, more than 3.7 million posts have mentioned former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney:
Crimson Hexagon Inc.
Click to enlarge
More than 2.2 million have mentioned former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia:
Crimson Hexagon Inc.
Click to enlarge
And more than 1.9 million have mentioned former Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania:
Crimson Hexagon Inc.
Click to enlarge
Here's an especially telling comparison, charting posts that state an actual opinion about one of the four candidates since Jan. 1. Paul is the yellow line at the bottom, often clocking in at fewer than 5,000 opinions a day:
Crimson Hexagon Inc.
Click to enlarge
However much his partisans may complain, it's not just the media that are ignoring Ron Paul.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
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Typical Ron Paul supporters.
'Your candidate sucks and nobody's paying attention to him because there's nothing to cover"
Ron Paul supporters: 'No, YOUR candidate sucks and if we got more media attention then there would be something to cover'
Ron Paul supporters are the whiny 5-year olds of the Republican primary.
The media is either not being paid enough to pay attention to him, or are being paid to ignore him.
First off, I'm not a Ron Paul supporter... That said, I do think there is an active campaign being waged by both the GOP establishment and the media to stifle Ron Paul's candidacy.
I'm a super liberal, but looking at Ron Paul's campaign compared to the other so-called republican candidates, he's the only one that actually represents the things the party is supposed to stand for.
Our electoral process has been hijacked by big money and since the same people pumping the funds into the campaigns are also funding the media-mafia (I'm looking at you, MSNBC) there is a concerted effort on the part of all big media to push the candidates that will push for laws that benefit these big corporations to the detriment of the average American.
You can keep spewing propaganda, but I know for a fact you've lost millions of readers who now see through your pretend-news. The same applies to your big competitors.
Your days are numbered. The revolution is now.
Under Romney, Gingrich or Santorum, there is no possibility of bringing spending under control and saving the country from bankruptcy and ruin.
Under Romney, Gingrich or Santorum, there is nothing to look forward to but poverty and despair. We are doomed.
You can add Obama to that list too my freind!
well no one cares about the media really...fact is Dr Paul is the best rep candidate.
Marwan Eid, then why in the hell doesn't he get the votes??? Someone must not think so. The voters are talking and it is not about Dr. Paul. The ballot shows the proof my friend.
Verno....are you saying that Americans are too stupid to understand that continued deficit spending will eventually bankrupt this country and there will be no more money for entitlement programs? How quickly people forget. This was the same issue which got Bill Clinton elected.
verno - Many Republicans aren't voting for Ron Paul. Look at the party. I do believe many Independents and many disallusioned Dems will.
The media blows
EVERYBODY knows MSNBC is a shill for the government
They all are... nothing is transparent anymore
Then go somewhere else.
BuckyG, if MSNBC is a shill for government, why aren't Fox and the rest of them talking much about Paul. Get off your soapbox.
verno - Fox isn't talking much about Ron Paul because he is against the status quo. They are talking about Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Obama because they are the status quo. The status quo isn't working for the America citizens. The status quo is working for all the other candidates determined to keep the government doing exactly what it has been doing - keeping the American people under their thumbs.
delusional........
With all due respect to all of you who are Ron Paul supporters WAKE UP!
yes the media tends to ignore him, but that is because he is consistantly getting the fewest votes these days. Any talk of all of these or those delegates are his supporters mean nothing..... delegates are bound to the canidate they were picked for for at least the first ballot, it doesn't matter how much they love Ron Paul in their heart, if they are a Romney delegate the HAVE TO vote for him the first time --- it is a law for most states.
I like some of Ron Paul's ideas, and am terrified of others (education in the south is bad enough, take away federal funding and any sort of guidance from the government and we will have illiteracy as a standard for some states)
Please guys, try to realize --- it isn't the media who doesn't like your candidate --- it is the GOP voters
Really? How is the Federal Government going to continue spending money on education when the defict is so big that it will bankrupt us as a country? Please try to see beyond the here and now.
Delusional is when you believe electing the same failed status quo government over and over and over again will give you a different outcome.
maybe if the government actually collected the taxes without all the tax breaks for corperations or the wealthy (wall street players paying only 15% taxes) we wouldn't be in such bad shape. Maybe if politicians didn't promise to lower taxes without cutting things we wouldn't be in so much debt. The problem isn't the money going out ---- it is the LACK of money coming in. You don't even need to raise taxes, just get rid of corperate tax breaks and loop holes and make people who earn their income from dividends pay a tax rate equal to regular income - that alone would do wonders for the deficit.
My, Ron Paul worshipers are a feisty bunch when the facts don't jive with their perceptions.
Is there one honest Paul supporter out there who would care to comment on the discrepancy between the Tweeter in the above story claiming of a media blackout in St Louis, despite the fact that, as the article pointed out, there were several major St Louis news outlets covering the event?
There is a difference between local and national coverage which is what most complaints are about.
Cameron...
First off, research the definition of "critical reading", because that's what myself, a RP supporter,is doing when I read anything that comes into my existence from MSM (mainstream media). And something you have now just proven you don't comprehend. If you look up the wiki definition, it specifically says it is typically learned and taught. Hmmm... it's a skill, not a natural gift to everyone.
Now back to your statement...did you even choose to read ALL 3 articles? Let me point out some "critical reading" 101.
1. All 3 of these articles were written by...the Associated Press...meaning they have all been written, reviewed and edited by the SAME GROUP which then represents the SAME AGENDA and is then DISTRIBUTED to local news. This is not "free press" news man.
2. Two of these articles are the SAME EXACT STORY, word for word, re-read #1. These 2 stories have 5 short paragraphs that tell nothing of relevance about his rally and in fact focus on him being the sub-story to the more "important" backing of Romney, opponents, etc.
3. The article that is more elaborate when "critically read" has spin/bias throughout it. The headline says "Paul hesitant to back Romney if he wins nomination", and the article is about just that, not about Paul's rally, that's just a footnote. Look at the focus of the article, every other paragraph is re-enforced with mentions and content for everyone but RP? This is too easy for MSM...
4. If you know anything about polls, or anything statistical in data, you would know that these stats don't mean anything unless you know EXACTLY what your study group is, it's variables, and constants. The press may tell you Mitt is winning a poll, what they won't tell you is who they polled, what age group, what demographics, etc. IE. they could have polled 60+ and older ONLY in a county and said that Romney was winning BASED ON THAT POLL. They don't say anything that "isn't true" *cough
What is lost is how manipulated one can be when ideas,opinion, spin, and bias are PLANTED in people not "critically reading" this propaganda.
Cameron Ford - Ron Paul worshipers? Condescension aside, you mean the People who support Constitutional law in the face of an overreaching and pandering government. Those tend to be Ron Paul supporters, yes. Media blackouts for Ron Paul have been flagrant and prevalent. To demonstrate that some people comment that they feel it may still be going on, even in the face of some reporting -well, okay. Is it the intent of this article to report that some tweets suggest some Ron Paul supporters still think Paul is not getting adequate coverage - say compared to other candidates? Okay again. Is the article attempting to advance a particular perception of all Ron Paul supporters? Okay. And maybe, yes. But that's just my opinion. What do you think?
I guess MSNBC Cable Evening News Format is so short of viewers that they got to rant on a Republican Candidate on the number of hits on overrated Twitter. Hey, MSNBC, try getting your OWN ratings up on Cable rather than bad mouthing a Presidential Candidate on their so called number of Twitter hits.
Kurt, so if you don't like the results....just bash the messenger...right??
I laugh at seeing this article on the front page. More propaganda to push RP down. He is the king of facebook and twitter and yet you the news makes this up now haha. I went to see Ron Paul in Dearborn, MI. Over 5k supporters showed up. There wasn't room for me to see his speech unfortunately. I didn't see one person from the news. Similar thing happened up in Lansing at Michigan State. Lansing newspapers didn't even mention it. Its not even funny anymore.. its just sad.
MediaLie, where were the 5K supporters when it came time to vote for a candidate? Crow all you want about the crowds, but if they don't vote it is worthless.
i was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. but a quick google search showed that the lansing paper did cover it. so you're either lying intentionally or just spouting off without searching for facts. either way, it's sad.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120228/ELECTIONS01/302280036/Ron-Paul-speech-draws-thousands-MSU
All you could come up with was an article by the 17th largest newspaper in Michigan? ( ) ?
Guess the original posters point is supported.....just saying......
TampaBay, this is what Ron Paul followers do. They have such a persecution complex, that they have to make stuff up or ignore the facts so everything fits their preconceived notion that "The Media" hates Ron Paul and that he is actually winning (when, in fact, he is not.)
I actually ment the lansing tv news not news papers. They couldn't even send one camera crew to a filled auditorium of 5k + supporters? And based on how excited and supportive everyone was that showed up at these events one can only assume that they voted. Shame on them if they didn't even put their vote in..
The GOP is absolutely screwed though. They really think they have a chance at beating Obama with Romney or Santorum?? hahaha.. good luck
MediaLie - They do. They will. With Reps, Independents and the Dems who want off the the sinking ship. Every person I know who voted for Obama says they'll vote for anyone but him. Luck indeed. It's survival. A string of 'ha's is nervous laughter.
Sorry, I was out of town for the weekend, did Ron Paul announce that he was running for president?
...it's a joke people, please don't have a stroke or break your keyboard rushing to bash me for absolutely nothing.
.......it's a joke?........please don't quit your day job........
This article is total BS, especially the data. He has over 30 million views on YouTube: Anyway, since the GOP doesn't want us, nor does the media think he is worth their time (even though he is the only Republican that beats Obama in a national election according to recent polls), Ron Paul should announce that he is running as a 3rd party candidate at the convention. He will take his delegates (and voting block), get the independent vote and the disgruntled Democrat vote...and win.
Tony, I just checked the latest polls. And in all of them except maybe Rasmussen Obama is beating Paul by 8 to 10 points. Where do you get you info? Just off the top of your head??
Check this out.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_paul_vs_obama-1750.html
if youtube views equated to election wins, then i'm sure he'd be doing fine.
I am always stunned at how ridiculous the Paul supporters sound. Get this through your heads: HE WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT. Not ever. Not under any party. EVER. You can bet your houses on it.
If he doesn't become president we probably will lose our houses!
countficula: How would Paul stop you from losing your houses? He wants the government out of everything. How do you think he would stop you from losing your house. Doesn't make sense man! You've been listening to the wrong people.
Check out the link verno....if you can handle the truth.....
I am not currently losing my house, but if things continue as they are, which they invariably will if any of the republicrats (Obama, Romney, Santorum, or Gingrich) carry on the Bush legacy I won't be able to afford a genetically modified carrot! Oh, is that a conspiracy theory too, are we not going broke?
And what an insulting (marginalising) title for an "article"
Ron who?
Ron Paul is a radical. The only impact he can have in the general election is if he runs as a third party candidate, and draws votes form either Mr. Excitement or Father Rick.
Paul followers are using the "media ignores Paul" bull@!$%# as a conscious strategy to get disproportionate coverage for their candidate.
I'm actually surprised Paul doesn't have 500 million twitters - his supporters are infamous for using scripting and sockpuppet accounts to inflate their presence on the net. There's whole fora on e.g. Dailypaul dedicated to coordinating such activities (here's a fun game for the whole family: try to find a single web poll with Paul in it which Paul didn't win!).
But I guess even the Paulinists are starting to realize that Pauls campaign is dead in the water.
Funny that you use a throw away account to accuse Paul supporters of having throw away accounts. Can you say HYPOCRITE?
i can spell hypocrite
That's nice. Can you punctuate, too?
i can edit previous posts, too
So can I, but that is not what makes you the hypocrite adolecent who wants to focus on spelling instead of content.
Ron Paul is as nutty as Ross Perot....
Spoken like a true sheep.....and you wonder why politicians keep fleecing us and things never get better.
So peace sign = endless wars
Dr Paul has a huge problem with Republicans. He refuses to support bombing and killing citizens all over the world. Constant war is a Republican core vale.
Ron Paul is a radical. The only impact he can have in the general election is if he runs as a third party candidate, and draws votes from either Mr. Excitement or Father Rick.
please offer a rational explanation why media companies would purposely ignore ron paul. if he were higher doing better in the race, he would be covered more. when newt exploded early on, he was covered extensively. when he started to fade, he was not covered as much. it works just like that.
Ron Paul 2012 for real change we can believe in!.
"The One Man/One Vote Supreme Court ruling shall be enforced by this Amendment, namely that NO federal candidate selection shall be by any means other than the ballot box on Primary/General Election Dates."
So, what's good for Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago will be good for the rest of us. Let the big population centers decide everything. People in smaller states, well, they just don't matter very much.
What is the average age of a person voting in a Primary election. This was my first and I am 48.
Perhaps what we are seeing is the Senior Citizens once again selling out their children to get better benefits for their generation at the cost of those who come after them.
I think the average Ron Paul supporter is a person who knows Social Security, Medicare and Pensions do not apply to them and wants to take drastic steps to save the country.
The average opponent of Ron Paul is someone who does not want to change anything; someone who wants to continue deficit spending so that their benefits and entitlements can continue to flow for a few more years and to hell with the nations future
Yeah, you idiot.....these other guys were mention by Ron Paul supporters.....and not in a positive way. But you don't track that distinction do you?
The REAL incredible shrinking story of the past few years is the shrinking number of public paying any attention whatsoever to the bankster cult's propaganda machines like MSNBC, FOX, CNN. BBC, etc,
Facebook and Twitter are Intelligence data gathering organizations and are recognized as being in the same category as your media - police state tools.
The best use of your publication network is to monitor the propaganda lines being put out by the Rothschild/Rockefeller bankster cult.
The alternative media is eating your lunch and their public is accelerating while you guys shrink.
Soon your masters and the controllers of your propaganda will be on trial for war crimes, genocide and/or in prison.
Get REAL news at infowars.net, drudgereport.com, etc.
lol
Paul supporters are the same ones who believe the 9-11 truthers and the moon hoaxers. No amount of evidence will ever convince them that Paul isn't the true front-runner in the race. Paul isn't winning because PEOPLE DON'T WANT HIM. Even in a race with two clowns in the lead, Paul can't win.