Media ignoring Paul

The conspicuous media blackout regarding Ron Paul’s near-win at the Iowa caucuses is another sure sign that mainstream media outlets carry a poisonous effect on public discourse in the United States.

The way that major media outlets deliberately suppress news about Ron Paul’s success disenfranchises anti-war voters and denies all Americans access to a reasoned and multipolar public debate.

Ron Paul’s public profile has grown enormously since his 2008 campaign; having authored several bestselling books and essentially lighting the fuse on today’s debates regarding the country’s financial situation, Paul has been called one of the most influential congressmen of the modern era.

Unlike all of the other Republican presidential hopefuls, Ron Paul has a devoted following of young people that actively organize and campaign without direction from the campaign itself. Even people who do not agree with the anti-war libertarian agenda should be appalled at the way Ron Paul’s increasingly popular views are deliberately sidelined in favor of those which much less grassroots support.

Despite what the media hopes, Ron Paul is no longer a fringe candidate and should not be treated as such, particularly at a time when rational criticism of government action is in such short supply.

Collin Shull

Pullman