by Eileen Noyes-Verchereau

Created on: August 21, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

It's tempting to claim that the press, not the voters, pick our presidents. One can easily find ample evidence to support the suggestion that not we, the voters, but media moguls in the press are the ones who circumvent the voting process and actually pick presidents.

It's no secret there are press outlets that do everything within their considerable power to sway voters to cast their ballots for their preferred presidential candidate.

Still, no matter how hard the press may try, a voter's vote cannot be compelled.

True, some press stories are anything but objective.

However, media bias comes through loudly and clearly. And it's up to voters to choose which press accounts to believe.

We also know well-heeled presidential candidates have the financial wherewithal to use the press to their political advantage while lesser known candidates for president have trouble breaking out of the no-name-recognition-syndrome.

By the way, are you old enough to remember when Jimmy Carter was "Jimmy Who?" who became President Jimmy Carter?

We know there are media notorious for biased, often vitriolic editorials especially the ones that are not even designated as editorial comments! We also know there have been times when it has seemed the press made or broke a candidate's run for president.

During the 1972 presidential primary, for instance, New Hampshire's major newspaper, the "Union Leader", published a couple of pretty vicious articles about Democratic candidate, Edmund Muskie. One of the articles turned out to be entirely false; the other was about the candidate's wife. Enraged and barely able to control himself when he reacted to the articles, Muskie appeared to cry. His reaction was interpreted by William Loeb, publisher of the "Union Leader", as evidence of Muskie's weakness.

The incident became an urban myth touted as having cost Mr. Muskie the Democratic nomination. In fact, Mr. Muskie won the NH primary. He did lose his bid to become the Democratic candidate for president.

The Union Leader also called a sitting president "Dopey Dwight", a slur that affected neither President Eisenhower's popularity nor his reelection chances.

So, yes, the press may seem to influence the outcome of an election.

Yet when all is said and done, it is individual voters, not the press, who enter the voting booth to cast their ballots (or make their electronic choices). The votes are tallied precinct by precinct, city and town by city and town, county by county and state by state.

Votes are counted and a president is picked.

But not by the press. And, ultimately, not by the voter.

For it's the Electoral College that picks the president.

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