Campaigns Intensify Political Ad War in Battleground States
October 28, 2004
With less than a week until Election Day, the Bush and Kerry campaigns, the national party committees and independent partisan groups are concentrating their television advertising in key battleground states. The commercials airing in pivotal markets are aimed less at rousing voters' hopes than their fears.

Terence Smith examines the tone and tenor of these TV ads and the two campaigns' media buy strategies in the battleground states with Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and Evan Tracey, the chief operating officer and founder of the TNS/MI Campaign Media Analysis Group.

Online NewsHour Forum:
October 27, 2004
An expert answers your questions on political advertising and the campaigns' overall media strategies.

$8 Million Worth Of Distortions
October 21, 2004
Two Bush campaign ads full of misleading and false statements ran more than 9,000 times in 45 cities last week. -- FactCheck.org

An Avalanche of Misinformation
October 21, 2004
Both sides run lots of new ads with plenty of distortions, new and recycled.
-- FactCheck.org

Kerry Falsely Claims Bush Plans To Cut Social Security Benefits
October 18, 2004
It's not President Bush's plan, and it wouldn't cut benefits. -- FactCheck.org

Just How Many Bills Has Kerry Passed?
October 15, 2004
President Bush said Sen. Kerry passed five bills. Sen. Kerry said he's passed 56. Who's right? That depends on the definition of "passed" and "bills." -- FactCheck.org

New And Recycled Distortions At Final Presidential Debate
October 14, 2004
President Bush claims most of his tax cuts went to low- and middle-income persons. Sen. Kerry says Pell Grants were cut. Don't believe either. -- FactCheck.org

Distortions Galore at Second Presidential Debate
October 9, 2004
Examples: President Bush forgets he owns a tree-growing company. Sen. Kerry again inflates job-loss figures. -- FactCheck.org

Cheney & Edwards Mangle Facts
October 6, 2004
Getting it wrong about combat pay, Halliburton, and FactCheck.org. -- FactCheck.org

Distortions and Misstatements At First Presidential Debate
October 1, 2004
President Bush and Sen. Kerry both have problems with the facts at their meeting in Coral Gables. -- FactCheck.org

Presidential Campaign Ad War Breaks Spending Records
September 22, 2004
Since the end of the Democratic and Republican national conventions, both the Kerry and Bush campaigns have launched highly targeted ads aimed at reaching voters in swing states and the remaining undecided voters.

Terence Smith and experts examine the overall themes of the candidates' advertisements and their respective media strategies

527 Groups Enjoy 'Soft Money' Bonanza
August 27, 2004
Ostensibly independent "527" political committees have blossomed since the passage of the 2002 campaign finance law, amassing large sums of unregulated donations from corporations, unions and individuals.

Terence Smith speaks with Aron Pilhofer, coauthor of the 527 Project at the Center For Public Integrity, about the influential role of 527s in this year's presidential campaign. -- The NewsHour

President Calls for End to '527' Campaign Ads
August 23, 2004
President Bush condemned campaign ads funded by ostensibly independent "527" groups Monday, including recent television spots that attack Sen. John Kerry over his Vietnam War record. Experts discuss the impact the ads are having on the presidential campaign. -- The NewsHour

Sen. Kerry Defends War Record, Condemns Attack Ads
August 19, 2004
An independent group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth produced ads accusing Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry of lying about his Vietnam War record. Mr. Kerry on Thursday vigorously defended his war record and called on President Bush to denounce the accusations. Jim Lehrer discusses Sen. Kerry's war record with Swift Boat Veterans for Truth co-founder John O'Neill and Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant. -- The NewsHour

Campaign Ads Target Voters in Key Battleground States
July 19, 2004
Television viewers living in the so-called swing states of the presidential election have been inundated with more than 100 campaign ads since March -- much more than in other parts of the United States, according to a new study from the Wisconsin Advertising Project at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Terence Smith speaks with Ken Goldstein, director of the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project and political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, about what the data suggests about the Kerry and Bush campaigns' media strategies. -- The NewsHour
Press release from the Wisconsin Advertising Project (PDF)

Analyst Gauges Accuracy of Political Ads
June 22, 2004
As the campaign season heats up, independent conservative and liberal groups are running numerous television ads that invoke powerful images, including of the late President Reagan, Halliburton and the war on terror.

Terence Smith speaks with Brooks Jackson of FactCheck.org about the latest non-candidate ads from independent advocacy groups, known as 527s, and other political organizations. -- The NewsHour

Bush, Kerry Campaigns Spend Record Amount on Ads
June 2, 2004
Terence Smith speaks with Brooks Jackson, director of FactCheck.org of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, about the ads and the veracity of claims from the Bush and Kerry campaigns. -- The NewsHour

Bush Campaign Ads Featuring 9/11 Come Under Fire
March 5, 2004
President Bush's reelection campaign came under fire Friday, as some families of Sept. 11 victims and firefighters protested that the new TV commercials using images from the terror attacks were exploiting the tragedy for political gain.
-- Online NewsHour

Campaigns Launch Cyber Ad Wars
February 20, 2004
The campaigns of President Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, this week launched Web-based ads directly attacking the other for alleged connections to special interests. Terence Smith and two guests discuss the strategy of Web-based political ads and the unique advantages of the Internet for campaign communications. -- The NewsHour

Federal Regulators Impose Some Limits on Advocacy Groups
February 19, 2004
The Federal Election Commission on Wednesday voted 4-2 to place some restrictions on how nonparty political groups can spend soft money funds, but commissioners postponed a broader decision until they initiate a formal rule-making process next month. -- Online NewsHour

Bush Campaign Web Ad Attacks Kerry Special Interest Record
February 13, 200
For the first time, President Bush's reelection campaign directly criticized Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry Thursday in a Web video that called the Massachusetts senator "unprincipled," as both campaigns stepped up accusations of playing dirty politics. -- Online NewsHour