More US college and mainstream newspapers pick Obama over McCain

Scores of student-run newspapers in the US have made endorsements in the presidential election, with John McCain getting the nod of only one paper while rival Barack Obama got support from 69 publications.

Obama has also locked in more endorsements from mainstream newspapers.

The student journalism website uwire.com reports that the only college paper that endorsed McCain was the Daily Mississippian of the University of Mississippi. The school is located in a red, or strongly Republican, state.

The Daily Mississippian said in an editorial last Oct. 28:

We feel Sen. McCain’s experience in foreign affairs and his decision to not raise taxes on anyone of any class of society makes him the clear choice for president. Sen. McCain has a history of stepping across party lines; the same cannot be said of Sen. Obama.

Sen. McCain also has a record as an agent of change. He has promised to focus more on the issues of energy, climate change and excessive government spending, all of which need to be addressed in order for this country to effectively move forward.

What our decision ultimately comes down to, though, is who is more qualified for the position as the leader of the Free World. Sen. McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the profession and serve our nation honorably as he has in the past.

Obama meanwhile got the endorsements of The Crimson of Harvard University, The Maneater of the University of Missouri, the Daily Californian of the University of California-Berkeley and dozens of others.

It was also reported that the Daily Bruin of UCLA was the first college paper to back Obama.

In its Oct. 14 editorial, the Daily Bruin said:

In truth, very little needs to be said of Sen. John McCain or his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin. Neither candidate has provided reason to believe that a McCain/Palin administration would lead to anything constructive or different to break with the ill effects of the Bush administration.

What America needs now is a leader who is willing to make sacrifices and to accept responsibility for tough decisions in order to save our economy.

We are not claiming that Obama has all of the answers.

However, he has shown himself to be a capable leader and is pushing for progressive social programs that could, if brought to fruition, greatly benefit demographics in America that have been historically underserved, including throughout the last eight years.

Obama also leads by “a lanslide” the endorsements from big, mainstream newspapers, with the Democrat getting the nod of 240 publications against 114 for the Republican McCain.

The Editor and Publisher reports that

At least 50 papers have now switched to Obama from Bush in 2004, with just four flipping to McCain. In addition, several top papers that went for Bush in 2004 have now chosen not to endorse this year, the latest being the Indianapolis Star in key swing state Indiana.

The Chicago Tribune endorsed Obama–the first Democrat that it has backed in its long history. Three of the top five dailies in deep red state Texas switched from Bush to Obama this time.

The biggest newspaper in Anchorage, Alaska meanwhile backed Obama and not McCain who has enlisted Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate.

The American Journalism Review published an article in 2004 questioning why newspapers continue to make endorsements when their readers refuse to be swayed by them.