Description
Book SynopsisThis book represents the first systematic effort to examine (1) the factual accuracy of the claims made in an entire political advertising campaign, (2) the visuals and sound cues used in that advertising and their relationship with the tone and accuracy of ads, and (3) the impact of the accuracy of claims on what people know and how they vote in a real campaign. The research is based on several years of labor-intensive coding of the factual accuracy of every claim made in the presidential ads in the 2008 election as well as the ads for the races for the US Congress in Minnesota. We show how the accuracy of political ad claims, the visuals and sound of ads, and ad tone (particularly negativity) are related to voting behavior. We argue that understanding how the accuracy of political ad claims affects voters is now more important than ever.
This research has steered clear of the normative question of what such putative gains in knowledge represent, however. Does the content o
Trade ReviewFor almost two decades, I have been following the research of Barbara Allen and Dan Stevens on political advertising. What a treat it is to see such a compelling and important research agenda come together in a book. No one understands truth (and untruth) in political advertising—and how the electorate responds to that—better than Allen and Stevens. -- Travis N. Ridout, Washington State University
“Few topics are of more contemporary importance than misinformation. This book is a monumental contribution on the topic – looking at the dynamics and effects of inaccuracies in political advertising. The results are sobering: there is a lot of inaccuracy and it matters. The book is exhaustive and sets an agenda for future work on electoral campaigns.” -- James N. Druckman, Northwestern University
Table of Contentschapter 1. Communicating with Voters through Political Advertising:
Moving beyond Ad Tone to Think about the Accuracy of Ad Claims
chapter 2. Normative Political Theory, Advertising, and Political
Participation
chapter 3. “You can’t handle the truth?” Previous Research on
Political Advertising
chapter 4. Evaluating the Accuracy, Visuals, and Sound of
Advertising and Their Impacts
chapter 5. Anatomy of an Ad Campaign: What Ads Say and
When They Say It
chapter 6. The Accuracy of Claims Made in Political Advertising
chapter 7. Spectacle, Message, and Meaning in the Visuals and
Sound of Political Advertising
Barbara Allen, Daniel Stevens, and Jeffrey Berg
chapter 8. Examining the Visuals and Sound in Political Advertising
chapter 9. The Effects of Ad Accuracy on Political Knowledge
and Turnout
chapter 10. Conclusion
