Corporate Networks Censor 3rd Party Candidates

Ron Paul, the man who has campaigned the hardest for enforcement of the 1^st Amendment (which includes free speech and freedom of the press), has ironically met a great deal of resistance from the self proclaimed “fair and balanced” media outlet FOX News. This opposition is due to Paul’s outspoken criticisms of corporate America. He has openly criticized these businesses for their greed, laziness, and manipulation of the truth.

In order to silence Paul, FOX News and other major media corporations have attempted to marginalize him by refusing the Congressman any airtime.

On January 6^th, 2008 a Republican Party debate sponsored by FOX News was held in New Hampshire. Paul had just come off a fairly successful Iowa caucus in which he received 10 percent of the vote. However, Paul was not invited to attend the debate; while candidates such as Rudy Giuliani, whom Paul clearly had outperformed in Iowa, were invited (Giuliani received 3 percent of the Iowa vote).

FOX News’ decision to ignore Paul was harshly criticized by the political community. The New Hampshire Republican Party responded by dropping its affiliation with FOX News, while Paul’s New Hampshire supporters protested the debate.

Meanwhile, FOX News attempted to justify its decision. A spokesperson for the corporation stated that they chose to invite candidates “who had received high standing in national polls, despite the fact small primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire will often back underdogs.”

Paul himself lashed out against FOX News. In the aftermath of the debate, Paul was quoted in the Boston Globe stating the corporation was a “propagandist for the Iraq war.”

Does anybody else see the irony here? It is the SOLE RESPONSIBILITY of the media to provide the public with honest, unadulterated information. Yet these pompous so-called journalists blatantly disregard their duties to the American people in order to bring their own biased agendas into the limelight.

American citizens can not afford to remain in this state of ignorance. As long as these corporations are allowed to marginalize those who offer differing beliefs and values, the democratic process will be at a standstill. As Americans it is our duty to vote responsibly and intelligently, and in order to do so we can no longer rely on the “information” supplied by these massive media corporations.

It is the responsibility of each and every American to sculpt their own opinions by perusing a wide range of publications in order to create an accurate portrayal of the complete political spectrum.

It may be too late for Ron Paul in 2008, who withdrew his bid for the White House on June 12^th, but the American people must continue to insist on accurate, honest, unbiased information from its media.

Our future may depend on it.