The 2012 election conversation taking place on Facebook is making its way off the social media site and into news analytics thanks to a new partnership between Facebook and the politics-oriented media outlet, Politico. Mashable reports that in the nine days leading up to the January 21 primary in South Carolina, Facebook will be looking at user’s comments of Republican presidential candidates and, using new software, analyzing whether the mentions refer favorably or disapprovingly to the candidates. Politico will then have exclusive access to the information and add its own analytical expertise and commentary to the extracted data. The media outlet will take into consideration Facebook user information (such as age and location) and will also poll South Carolina users in order to further understand the leanings of various demographics.

Commenting on the impact of Facebook during election season, John F. Harris, editor in chief of Politico, says, “Social media has forever changed the way candidates campaign for the presidency. Facebook has been instrumental in expanding the political dialogue among voters and we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to offer our readers a look inside this very telling conversation” (Mashable).

The first data report measuring the social traffic around Republican candidates from December 31, 2011 to January 10, 2012 is now available. Check it out here.