Paul Supporters Target Fox News.

Susan Davis reports from Des Moines, Iowa, on the presidential race.


Republican Rep. Ron Paul and his supporters are targeting the Fox News network today after an Internet discussion spread during the weekend that the cable network wasn’t giving the Texas lawmaker a seat at the table for a New Hampshire forum scheduled two days before the state’s Jan. 8 primary.

The Associated Press reported last Thursday that the New Hampshire Republican Party would be sponsoring a forum at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, N.H., with Fox News host Chris Wallace moderating the discussion.

Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson were the only candidates listed as participants, and so the Paul supporters mobilized.

This morning, Washington Wire received a mass email from an independent Paul supporter calling on his considerable online organization to write to Fox employees and protest the decision. The email listed the addresses of about 60 Fox employees, from press contacts to hosts Bill O’Reilly, Shepard Smith, Neil Cavuto and Brit Hume.



“Has Fox News Excluded Ron Paul From the Pre NH Primary Forum?” the email said, “Fox News cannot just stifle public opinion. debate and impact a primary election by excluding Ron Paul just because they don’t like his message of freedom and liberty,” the email said (typos included). Some of the emails were posted on this Web site, and supporters are asked to “be respectful” in their email missives.


Two Paul campaign aides said today that they have attempted to contact Fox to discuss the forum but haven’t received a response. On Paul’s Web site, www.ronpaul2008.com, campaign chairman Kent Snyder lists details on the main page. A New Hampshire Republican Party aide said today that it remains unclear if Paul will participate, and that the ultimate decision rests with Fox. The network (owned by News Corp., which also owns The Wall Street Journal) hasn’t responded to Washington Wire for comment.


http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/12/31/paul-supporters-target-fox-news/