Sunday NY Post Blacks Out Ron Paul

Sunday NY Post Blacks Out Ron Paul
Sunday, October 21, 2007 - FreeMarketNews.com

NEWS OPINION

Even though Jeffersonian conservative presidential candidate Ron Paul has declared the media blackout of his candidacy is over, don't tell that to the editors of the New York Post.

The "conservative" paper owned by Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch, has managed the feat of covering the Family Research Council's recent "Values Voter" presidential debate, and ranking candidates according to their popularity with "values voters" without mentioning third-place finisher GOP presidential contender Ron Paul (R-Tex).

The page 4 story in the Sunday Post, "Religious Right Rejects [Giuliani's] Values Plea" chooses to report only the "onsite voting results" and then actually drops off Ron Paul's name. It also manages to write a full article without mentioning either Ron Paul or his results. This is in marked contrast to other major news outlets (CNN, Daily News) that mention Ron Paul and his results as an obviously routine part of the coverage of the Values Voter debate.

Maybe there was justification in leaving Ron Paul out of commentary in a crowded field six months ago. But Ron Paul has now raised more money than most of his fellow GOP candidates and finished higher, on average, in more straw polls than any other GOP candidate.

Coming from behind as a "dark horse," Ron Paul is arguably the biggest story in American politics in this political year – one of the reasons that, as a free-market news site, FMNN has continually covered him and his campaign.

At this point, the New York Post would seem to owe its readers an explanation of just what its editorial really policy is and what it considers a "conservative." Even in its own press release, the Family Research Council chose to highlight the on-line straw poll rather than the smaller "onsite" poll results.

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http://www.frcaction.org/get.cfm?i=PR07J04

Nearly six thousand votes - 5,775 - were cast in the first-ever Values Voters Straw Poll at FRC Action's 2nd Annual Washington Briefing. FRC Action members had the choice of voting on-line, by mail, or at electronic voting stations during this weekend's event. All presidential candidates from both parties were listed on the ballot. The following are the straw poll results:

Candidate Name Total Votes Percentage
1. Mitt Romney 1,595 27.62 %
2. Mike Huckabee 1,565 27.10 %
3. Ron Paul 865 14.98%
4. Fred Thompson 564 9.77 %
5. Sam Brownback 297 5.14 %
6. Duncan Hunter 140 2.42 %
7. Tom Tancredo 133 2.30 %
8. Rudy Giuliani 107 1.85 %
9. John McCain 81 1.40 %

* The full results can be accessed at www.frcaction.org

U.S. military says kills 49 in Baghdad raid

U.S. military says kills 49 in Baghdad raid
By Sattar Raheem and Aseel Kami

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi government protested against a raid by U.S. forces in Baghdad on Sunday in which the military said 49 gunmen were killed in fierce fighting, but police and witnesses said claimed the lives of many civilians.

The fighting erupted during an operation in Sadr City, the main stronghold of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada, to capture an Iranian-linked militant suspected of abducting U.S.-led coalition soldiers and other foreigners.

Iraqi police said 13 civilians were killed and 69 wounded in the clashes, in which the U.S. military said troops backed by attack helicopters battled militants armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machineguns.

Two of the victims were toddlers, Reuters Television pictures showed.

The U.S. military said it had no confirmation of any civilian casualties.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki protested about the "excessive force" against civilians in the Sadr City raid in his weekly meeting with General David Petraeus, the U.S. commander Iraq, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in an interview with CNN's Late Edition.

Iraqi officials have criticized the U.S. military in the past for operations that have resulted in the loss of civilian life, especially the use of air strikes in built-up areas.

Petraeus's spokesman, Colonel Steve Boylan, said it had been agreed to establish a committee that would consist of Iraqi cabinet officials and U.S. general officers to "review the case and to refine mechanisms for the future".