Media critic Howard Kurtz wrote in the Daily Beast today that News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch gave vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan “a strong nudge” onto the Republican ticket.

Kurtz explained that Murdoch “used a combination of private persuasion, newspaper crusading, and Twitter talk to urge Mitt Romney's campaign to shake things up. And soon after Romney unveiled his running mate on Saturday morning, Murdoch posted a 140-character message of approval.”

From Kurtz's Daily Beast piece headlined “Rupert Murdoch Gets His Man As Mitt Romney Picks Paul Ryan”:

It would be too much to say that Rupert Murdoch pushed Paul Ryan onto the Republican presidential ticket. But he certainly gave the conservative congressman a strong nudge.

The media mogul used a combination of private persuasion, newspaper crusading, and Twitter talk to urge Mitt Romney's campaign to shake things up. And soon after Romney unveiled his running mate on Saturday morning, Murdoch posted a 140-character message of approval:

“Thank God! Now we might have a real election on the great issues of the day. Paul Ryan almost perfect choice.”

The enthusiastic tone was a marked contrast from last month, when Murdoch huddled privately with the GOP nominee and seemed to come away distinctly unimpressed.

“Met Romney last week,” he tweeted. “Tough O Chicago pros will be hard to beat unless he drops old friends from his team and hires some real pros. Doubtful.”

Romney declined to fire anyone, and Murdoch's Wall Street Journal continued to ding him in editorials. On Thursday, the editorial page dropped the subtlety and practically demanded: Why not Paul Ryan?

Previously:

Paul Ryan: The Romney Running Mate The Right-Wing Media Demanded

CNN's Reliable Sources Discusses The Right-Wing Media's Impact On The Ryan Pick