How does major media bias influence the average American voter?

This topic and question is very important to me because I want to involve myself in politics for a career. How can major news organizations twist, turn, blackout, and highlight certain political incidents to influence a different thought process in the average American citizen vote. I have been following the Republican Primaries very closely and have virtually witnessed the media bias to promote different candidates or to completely ignore others in order to sway the popular opinion of the general public. How is it that Ron Paul can be selling out his rallies at prestigious universities such as UCLA or Michigan State just to name a couple and be receiving almost no major media coverage. Ron Paul gets more financial support from our veterans and current military personal than all the other GOP hopefuls combined and more than President Obama. How can this be virtually blacked out and ignored by the major media. Ron Paul is very critical of the major media and supports a lot of policies that the people behind the news casters with the money do not support which creates a bad situation for a major media bias against him. Does the major media feel as though we as the general public are not “smart” enough or “qualified” enough to formulate our own opinions from the news if it was delivered in a honest and sincere way.  This to me is offensive and should be to everyone that has an attempt to be influenced by a bias that the major media produces.