As Santorum Moves On, So Does the Coverage

When April 10 broke, it looked like Rick Santorum’s Easter and family campaign recess was about to end. Events were scheduled. The Underdog Machine was seemingly about to rev up. What broke instead was news that Santorum’s presidential campaign was over. The announcement would come from the same small town where another campaign ended in 1863 —Gettysburg (PA). Media outlets here were quick to reverse course, with Twitter updates, email alerts, and breaking news bars posted and sent out. Some were also quick to forget the story, including many large-market television websites—stations set to lose a good chunk of the $2.9 million the Mitt Romney campaign was reportedly set to plunk down in the state.