Ron Paul Makes Front Page News

Although Ron Paul has been one of the most popular search terms on the internet in recent days (Ron Paul Gains Popularity on the Internet), he has been somewhat ignored by the mainstream media (Ron Paul Ignored by Mainstream Media). It seems as though the mainstream media has picked up on the Ron Paul internet phenomenon, with at least two publications featuring prominent stories about the candidate over the weekend.

The Washington Post featured a front page article on Ron Paul's internet success in Saturday's paper (An Also-Ran in GOP Polls, Ron Paul is Huge on the Net). The article, titled "An Also-Ran in the GOP Polls, Ron Paul is Huge on the Net," certainly sparked online debate regarding both the article and the candidate, with 14 pages of comments. Some Ron Paul supporters were glad to see their candidate being covered by the mainstream media. Among them, Matt4RonPaul said "Very fair article. Thank you for reporting the facts."

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review also ran a front page article on Ron Paul, with their article running in Sunday's paper (Presidential candidate Ron Paul drawing diverse crowds). Titled "Presidential candidate Ron Paul drawing diverse crowds," the Tribune-Review article discusses Ron Paul's growing popularity, as well as his views on the Iraq War and foreign policy. Since Ron Paul is a native Pittsburgher, the article also talks about his Pittsburgh upbringing and details some of his early accomplishments, including win a state track championship in high school.

Ron Paul's competition in the race for the Republican nomination continued to receive mainstream media campaign coverage as the candidates maneuver for position in the party. The Associated Press reported that Mitt Romney was building momentum in the states with early primaries (Romney Builds Support in Early States).

The New York Daily News featured stories on several of the Republican candidates, reporting on Rudy Giuliani's 12 point plan (Rudy Giuliani Article), undeclared Fred Thompson's name recognition as a boost to his campaign (Fred Thompson Article), and John McCain's wife Cindy's addiction to painkillers (Cindy McCain Article). In a poll that no candidate wants to win, undeclared Newt Gingrich was deemed America's Creepiest Candidate" in a Forbes poll (America's Creepiest Candidates).

What does Ron Paul's continued internet success mean for his campaign? Recent studies by the Pew Research Center show that more Americans are finding their political information on the internet, which would certainly be good news from the Ron Paul 2008 campaign (Ron Paul Internet Success May Reflect a Deeper Trend). With this weekend's front page news coverage, it appears that Ron Paul's internet buzz has started to peak the interest of the mainstream media. Political commentators such as Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Dennis Miller, and Bill Maher have also become interested in Ron Paul's campaign, as Ron Paul has recently appeared on all of their shows.

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My Take: The Canadian Spin on Ron Paul

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/15/AR2007061502428.html?hpid=topnews

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_513029.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-06-14-campaign-consolation_N.htm

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/17/romney_builds_support_in_early_states/