Michigan Newspapers Swing Both Ways
Looking at the list of newspaper endorsements, the newspapers in Michigan look to be as undecided as the state.
In the list of the top 100 newspapers in the country on The American Presidency Project’s website, the Detroit Free Press has published that it once again is endorsing Barack Obama, while The Detroit News is endorsing Mitt Romney after also endorsing McCain in the 2008 elections.
With the Real Clear Politics showing Obama still in a tight four point lead, Michigan looks like it will head into Election Day at a statistical tie.
One Major Nevadan Newspaper Endorses Romney
Of the top 100 newspapers based on circulation, The Las Vegas Review-Journal is the one Nevadan newspaper on the list that has chosen a candidate to endorse in the presidential election. It has chosen to support former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. This news came out after the first debate between Romney and President Barack Obama, which the general consensus had Romney as the winner.
“The choice is clear. Only Mitt Romney has the principles and experience needed to put America back on the road to prosperity. The Review-Journal endorses Mitt Romney for president of the United States,” stated the Review-Journal in an editorial on October 7.
According to Daily Kos, the Elko Daily Free Press and the Reno Gazette Journal are two smaller newspapers also endorsing Romney, while the Las Vegas Sun and the Reno News & Review are smaller newspapers that have endorsed President Obama.
Florida papers split on endorsements
The major papers in Florida are split on presidential endorsements with three papers backing Romney and two backing President Obama.
After Obama’s four-to-one take over of the newspaper endorsements, it is a surprise to see Romney having such a big impact and doing so well within the states media.
Newspapers stay true to toss up election.
Most swings states major papers are either split or choosing not endorse a candidates.
This election has been a toss up all the way and the results of these major papers refusing to endorse candidates just attest to that.
Many of these papers had supported President Obama or Senator McCain and are even flip flopping this election.
Wisconsin Newspapers Remain Silent
With the election looming, major newspapers have begun endorsing candidates. But the Wisconsin State Journal and the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel have yet to say anything.
The State Journal has yet to make a decision, but the Journal Sentinel will not choose a candidate this year.
“When I was appointed editorial page editor nearly two years ago, I pledged that our pages would be ‘fiercely independent’ and that we would ‘offer a marketplace of ideas,”’ writes Editorial Page Editor David D. Haynes. “That’s what we have tried to do. And that’s why we have decided that the editorial board should get out of the political endorsement business. We will analyze key races this fall, but we will not make recommendations.”
Both newspapers endorsed Barack Obama in 2008.
New Hampshire Newspapers Have Conflicting Views
The Union Leader, one newspaper in New Hampshire, looks like it is leaning towards supporting Mitt Romney in this year’s presidential election. With editorials like Barack Obama: King of Debt and Mitt Romney: Mr. Nice Guy, one can assume that the newspaper favors the Republican candidate at least a little bit.
However, another New Hampshire newspaper, The Concord Monitor, has endorsed President Barack Obama. The paper’s editorial, Send Obama Back to the White House, clearly states that Romney is someone who tells voters what they want to hear and that Obama deserves four more years in The White House.
“President Obama has a track record that, while hardly perfect, easily justifies giving him a second term,” the editorial states.
The article goes on to compare Romney and Obama, clearly favoring President Obama in the 2012 Presidential Election.
Iowa State Daily No Longer Endorses Candidates
In a recent editorial, the Iowa State Daily announced that, in an effort to remain unbiased, it no longer endorses candidates.
“One always hears about how journalists should be unbiased in their reporting, and how news ought to be balanced, not favoring one alleged side of an issue or the other. This philosophical bias toward fairness causes a lot of angst against print media, such as ourselves, when it comes to politics.”
The editorial went on to talk about the history of newspapers, and how, unlike broadcast media, newspapers have no obligation to be unbiased because they are privately owned. The distinction is due to the fact that airwaves are public property. Over time, broadcast media ethics have spread to newspaper journalism. However, the editorial goes on to say that,
“While the greatest public duty for a newspaper may often include the inclusion of multiple political sides, newspapers still have no obligation to do so. Newspapers can take sides, and sometimes they should.” This year however, the Daily will endorse neither candidate.
“Barack Obama’s inexperience and naivete has lead to an ineffective presidency, and the Republican Party has failed to produce a qualified and competent alternative, choosing instead to select a nonpolitical, flip-flopping, quasi-liberal corporatist as their candidate. We cannot in good conscience ascribe to the modern philosophy of selecting the lesser of two evils, as this still constitutes to choosing evil. A better candidate is insufficient. We want a good one.”
Ohio papers split on endorsments
Newspapers are generally split on their endorsements of the presidential candidates, with two of the largest in Ohio each taking a different side.
The Plain Dealer backed President Barack Obama, saying he has led the nation back from the brink of depression, and that Romney has flip-flopped on his foregin policy views.
The Columbus Dispatch, however, claims that Obama has failed, saying that Romney has spent his life working to turn around troubled institutions. The dispatch has a told-you-so sort of feel about it, saying that they warned their readers about the dangers of voting for Obama in 2008.
— Kathryn G. Pelczynski
President Obama recieves more endorsements from major newspapers
According to the 2012 General Election Editorial Endorsements by Major Newspapers, President Barrack Obama leads GOP nominee Mitt Romney in endorsements from the top 100 newspapers in the country. President Obama has received 34 endorsements, Romney has received 28 endorsements, and nine newspapers are not endorsing anything.
Among the notable newspapers was the Charlotte Observer, a North Carolina newspaper that has endorsed the president.
According to News and Observer, of Raleigh, N.C., a new Elon University poll shows the two candidates are tied with both receiving 45 percent support and five percent being undecided.
Virginia Newspapers Choose Not to Endorse Either Candidate
While many newspapers around the country decide which, if any, presidential candidate they want to endorse, two of Virginia’s largest newspapers remain undecided.
The Virginian Pilot and The Roanoke Times have so far decided to keep with the trend they set in the 2008 presidential election when they chose to back neither Obama or McCain. There is still time for these newspapers to endorse a candidate, but it does seem likely that they will not endorse anyone in this crucial swing state.
BonaSwing 