The First Casualty
“The First Casualty of War is Truth”…or so California U.S. Sen. Hiram Johnson said as our nation was entering World War I more than a century ago.
That’s probably still true…but now can be expanded to include political campaigns—especially campaign ads.
In an odd paradox, the more money spent on campaign ads—and it’s now a record—the less reliable their claims are.
This is not scientific, but I’m betting that you could select any ad…radio or TV, 30 or 60 seconds…and find something in there that is at the least misleading or deceptive. More often than not, it’s a false juxtaposition between the image on the screen and the words being said…but it also frequently includes a claim that needs far more context than the five second statement in the ad.
Other ads are just libel suits waiting to happen, except that the standards are pretty free-wheeling when it comes to political speech, even paid speech like an ad.
If you are using only ads in making your election choice…frankly, you’re going to be too misinformed to vote properly. (By “properly” I mean “having valid information and making a conscious choice free from bias”.)
If you’re listening to this, you very likely already tune out much of the ads and their claims. You get your information from other trusted sources, not merely some slick paid packaging.
But here’s the scary part…lots of folks…especially young people…believe the video ads they see on TV, in streaming, and on line. More on that tomorrow.
For now, think about a candidate you think you know well and see how they are portrayed in an opponent’s ad. Complete disconnect? If so…then why are you using ads to make a decision in races in which you don’t know the candidates? Because the same inaccuracies and distortions are being used there, too.
