> >
> > ABC has decided not to air an interview with Republican
> > presidential hopeful Ron Paul by 20/20 co-host John Stossel and
> > instead present it as an online "exclusive." Paul advocates the
> > kind of libertarian approach to many issues that Stossel appears to
> > support. The network's decision aroused anger among Paul's
> > supporters. On the liberal Huffington Post blog, Matt Simon, who
> > heads a New Hampshire organization that advocates marijuana-law
> > reform, asked, "If ABC claims to be operating in the public
> > interest, on what grounds can it reasonably suppress this unusually
> > thought-provoking interview?" (The interview could fall under the
> > FCC's Equal Time rule, requiring the network to provide free time
> > to Paul's rivals.) As Stossel notes in his online introduction to
> > the interview, Paul has been effective in raising awareness of his
> > candidacy -- and raising campaign funds -- on the Internet. On
> > ABC's 20/20 message board, one Paul supporter wrote, "The truly sad
> > thing is that ABC won't air this on television. We on the Web know
> > Ron Paul's views and beliefs, so why are they wasting time here
> > when he could be on TV being much more effective in spreading his
> > ideas?" Another wrote, "My grandmother is very interested in Ron
> > Paul and doesn't have access to the Internet! This is outrageous
> > that ABC won't air the interview."