Based on anecdotal evidence so far, it seems a lot of people have reacted sympathetically to the LPIN based on the article. It probably got a lot of people to look at us that would not have done so otherwise

I’ve done a few campaign media analyses, and to be honest, most LP candidates get LESS pro rata media coverage than their electoral performance would seem to merit—even in the 1% bracket, the candidates I’ve looked at got something like one TENTH of one percent of the newspaper word count in the election.

On the other hand, a lot of Libertarians don’t understand how to get the media’s attention. The media doesn’t care what Libertarian candidates think. They already KNOW what Libertarian candidates think, and have known it for years. What Libertarian candidates think is old news, and old news is not news.

Journalists are, however, often interested in what Libertarian candidates DO. If a press release concerns an EVENT or something that has HAPPENED or about to happen, it’s ten times (and that’s a lowball estimate) as likely to get covered as a press release about what someone thinks. Position papers—even position papers disguised as press releases—don’t generate media.

Regards,
Tom Knapp

I agree with you. From what I’ve seen, the LP of Indiana in the 2000s could be what Indiana was to high school basketball in the 1920s.

I’d bet that about 1/3 of the people who read the biased column had a reaction opposite that of the intention of the writer.

A lot of people like to root for the underdog.

Rolf Lindgren
Vice-Chair
www.LPWI.org

We are treated fairly by most media, including many at the Indianapolis Star. However, this one reporter tends to be a (insert your choice of derogatory word). Quite frankly, the sitting Secretary of State was treated far worse than Kole by this reporter in a previous column.

Our activists regularly appear on local talk radio, including in Indianapolis, and many of their op/eds are printed in newspapers across the state of Indiana.

By the way, we are winning local partisan offices in Indiana and growing the party at every election. Many partisan elections we have lost on the local level we lost with vote percentages over 40%. We have several Libertarian activists on various government boards. Thus we have accomplished something.

Remember how the establishment operates – first they ignore you, then they attack you, then you win.

I’m pleased to see the Libertarian Party of Indiana is pleasantly entwined in the establishment’s attack phase and is looking to quickly move to the win phase at state level positions. It’s much better than being ignored.

Mark W. Rutherford, Chairman, Libertarian Party of Indiana

It’s a Catch 22 if I ever saw one…

First you accomplish something. THEN you crow and watch the curious come a-runnin’.

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The press in Wisconsin is not biased aganst Libertarians.

We do not have the money to get our message out to the general public, but we do have the resources to reach the members of the media.

We have leveled with them, expressing a moderate, logical, principled message.

Hence, we are treated fairly in news reports.