GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Tex) held a Family Walk in New Hampshire joined by hundreds of supporters - but it wasn't covered by WMUR 9 state-wide TV, even though the station covered GOP candidate John McCain, despite his apparent inability to draw a single backer.
According to Ron Paul supporters, this is an open-and-shut case of news bias - one that favors other GOP candidates at the expense of the campaign's only libertarian conservative Ron Paul (R-Tex).
FMNN feedbacker GigiB writes, "I was in New Hampshire this weekend. I saw John McCain interviewed by TV twice. There was NOT ONE John McCain supporter to be seen. As a matter of fact I counted 20+ Ron Paul supporters and 0 John McCain Supporters in two restaurants where McCain was interviewed for TV."
See feedback: http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=49633
For months, through dozens of reports, FMNN has covered the emerging story on the lack of mainstream news coverage of Ron Paul's increasing success as a libertarian-conservative candidate for president. The situation with WMUR in New Hampshire is increasingly problematic for the Ron Paul campaign, as the TV station, an ABC affiliate, is the state's largest and most authoritative dispenser of news.
Following several reports by FMNN, and a letter-writing campaign, the "conservative" the New Hampshire Union Leader, the state's biggest newspaper, has begun to cover the Ron Paul campaign more closely, but all reports indicate that WMUR is a much harder case - close to openly hostile to Ron Paul coverage.
See related FMNN coverage: "WMUR NH TV to Ron Paul: 'Drop Dead'?"
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=49633
Feedbacker GigiB adds, "According to news sources there were between 500 and 1,500 in Veteran's Park in New Hampshire for Ron Paul though the MSM did not carry this rally on TV....while Ron Paul was speaking he managed to raise $1.2 million on the internet. How much did McCain raise this week? We shall soon find out. ... Personally I've taken to reading blogs, Free Market News and YouTube to find my news these days. And that's where Ron Paul is. In the REAL WORLD!"
WMUR's difficulties regarding coverage of the Ron Paul campaign are especially puzzling given the station's apparent expertise in political coverage. Sources such as Wikipedia have noted that WMUR has received high honors for its political coverage in the past.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMUR-TV
During election seasons, WMUR is well-known for organizing and producing some of the higher profile candidate debates for ABC News, as well as CNN, before the first United States presidential primary. On March 9, 2005, as a result of its coverage of political events, the station won the "USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism" for the third consecutive time.
