exerpt from:
Attack and Inform
Campaign spin actually informs and engages voters, in some states Compared to the barrage of political citizens learn about the candidates. Some advertising in the 10 or so swing states that people even learn more from ads than they will decide this election, Idaho is on the do from news. This is especially true for sidelines, viewed as a guaranteed negative attack ads, which have Seth Ashley, win for one party and a lost constituted about 70 percent Ph.D., assistant cause for the other. It can of all political advertising professor of communicabe hard to tell there’s in this election. That’s tion at Boise State University, an election going on at way up from what it writes about the surprising all here, and while we used to be: less than consequences of being spared might be thankful that 10 percent in 1960 and from attack ads in non-swing we don’t have to listen around 30 percent in states. Ashley researches the to candidates endlessly the 1980s. role and impact of media in “approve this message” Why the dramatic the democratic public like folks in Ohio, Nevada rise? First of all, attack sphere. or Florida, we may be less ads work. Negative ads informed as a result. highlight the issues for which Conventional wisdom and pollcandidates want to be known and help ing data tell us that political ads, which are distinguish their policy ideas from those of mostly negative, turn people off and drive us their opponent. Secondly, the rise of interest further apart. They disillusion, they polargroups following the 2010 Citizens United ize, they depoliticize. They are what we’re GHFLVLRQ KDV FRQWULEXWHG WR WKH ÀRRG RI QHJDreferring to when we talk about our mean, tive ads; the candidates themselves account ugly politics. But here’s the thing: They also for less than half of the ad spending. Finally, educate us. news media attention focuses more and more Research has long supported the idea that on campaign strategy, and this coverage political advertising is one of the main ways helps drive the trend.
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THE BLUE REVIEW | VOL. 1, NO. 1 | FALL 2012 PRINT EDITION
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