Download sample-op-ed-truth-in-advertising

SAMPLE OP-ED
Have you seen a few political campaign ads recently? OK, so you’ve
seen lot. Here in [locality], political advertisements are flooding our television
airwaves. It is hard not to see a campaign ad when watching television.
Many of these campaign ads are being run by “outside groups” that are
supposedly independent from the candidates. These ads threaten to spread
misinformation and studies have shown they contain a higher level of both
attacks and inaccurate statements than candidate campaign ads.
The League of Women Voters has long worked to ensure that voters
receive fact-based, nonpartisan information about our elections. We are
concerned that many of these non-candidate TV ads are leaving voters confused
and disgusted. In the worst case, some [locality] voters may decide not to vote at
all. This concerns us deeply as the League wants all eligible citizens to vote.
Because of our concerns, the League of Women Voters, in partnership
with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is
launching the Truth in Campaign Advertising project. The [locality] League is
working with our local TV stations, urging them to provide the public what we
need to make informed decisions on Election Day.
We’re asking the public to join us in showing community support for TV
stations to exercise their legal rights for fact-checking non-candidate ads if the
station believes the ad is inaccurate or misleading. (The same rules do not apply
to advertisements run by candidates – but stations can run fact checking
segments in their news shows about these.)
Stations already have processes they use for consumer product ads. We
are asking them to be as vigilant about “outside group” ads. We also hope our
community’s newspapers, as an important source of information to the public, will
join us in encouraging our local stations to implement practices for requesting
changes in non-candidate campaign ads if the station believes the ad is
inaccurate or misleading. Also to encourage stations to run ad “fact-checking”
segments on candidate ads and those from outside groups as part of their news
programs. This would provide viewers with nonpartisan, objective analysis of the
political ads being run. (More information is available at www.lwv.org and
search “Truth In Campaign Advertising”.)
We know that many of these “outside groups” are paying local television
stations top dollar to run their ads. While the TV stations must by law offer
qualified candidates a discounted rate (“lowest unit charge”) that the station gives
their best customers, there are no limits on what the station can charge these
outside groups. It must be difficult for TV stations to reject such a well-paying ad
since it is a high-profit transaction. The League wants to show community
support for the practice of fact checking political ads and applaud TV stations
when they choose to fact check the information being delivered to us as viewers
and voters.
Local television stations remain the source of most Americans’ news and
information. The League knows voters desperately want genuine, factual
information to help them make their own best decisions on Election Day. By
holding non-candidate advertising to the same standards used for product
advertising, and doing fact checking segments in their news programs, the local
station is performing an important service for their viewers – and our democracy.