March 2, 2004
While the national media have concentrated on the Democratic presidential candidates, the Bush campaign has been quietly working on building a sophisticated database of supporters to assist the campaign in finely targeting issue-based appeals.

Terence Smith speaks with key figures of the Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection team and other political experts about the campaign's innovative methods of building grassroots support across the nation and a preview of its media campaign plans.

FactCheck.Org: Bush’s Re-Election Campaign Begins on a Positive Note
March 3, 2004
His first three TV ads are downright bland, with lots of generalities and few facts for us to check.

FactCheck.Org: Kerry’s Attack Video Misleads on Veterans, Jobs
March 1, 2004
Campaign says Internet ad is to “set the record straight.” But it contains some distortions.

FactCheck.Org: Biggest Deficit in History? Yes and No
February 27, 2004
Half a trillion dollars is the most ever, but several others have been worse relative to the size of the economy.

FactCheck.Org: Did Kerry Oppose Tanks & Planes? Not Lately
February 26, 2004
Kerry voted often against nuclear missiles and bombers in the '90s, but GOP claims that he opposed a long list of conventional weapons are overblown.

FactCheck.Org: Here We Go Again: Bush Exaggerates Tax Cuts
February 20, 2004
The President can’t keep his figures straight. And most people are getting less than he implies.

FactCheck.Org: Funding for Veterans up 27%, But Democrats Call It A Cut
February 18, 2004
Money for Veterans goes up faster under Bush than under Clinton, yet Kerry accuses Bush of an unpatriotic breach of faith.

FactCheck.Org: Bush's Misleading Attack Video
February 13, 2004
Internet attack ad says Kerry got most “special interest money” of any senator. He didn't. And Bush got lots more.

FactCheck.Org: New Evidence Supports Bush Military Service (Mostly)
February 12, 2004
Newly released records reflect payments and credits for Air National Guard service meeting minimum requirements, despite a six-month gap.

FactCheck.Org: Defending Spending? Bush's Blooper
February 9, 2004
The president wrongly claimed he cut the growth of discretionary spending. Reality: the growth rate multiplied.

FactCheck.Org: Are Candidates Swearing Off 'Attack Ads?' Maybe This Reform is Working by Brooks Jackson
February 4, 2004
Where are all the nasty, personal, negative TV spots? Candidates seem to be reluctant to run them -- and there's a reason. A new law requires presidential candidates to appear in their own ads and take personal responsibility for what they say.

FactCheck.Org: Kerry Exaggerates Role in Some Key Legislative Battles
January 30, 2004
He says he "led the fight" on several fronts but few bills bear his name.

FactCheck.Org: Bush a Military “Deserter?” Calm Down, Michael
January 23, 2004
Clark-backer Michael Moore calls President Bush a “deserter” for missing Air National Guard drills 31 years ago. Puh-lease!

FactCheck.Org: What Bush Left Unsaid in State of the Union Address
January 20, 2004
Forget Weapons of Mass Destruction. Now its “weapons of mass destruction-related program activities."

FactCheck.Org: Is Bush Abusing Seniors with Medicare Rx Benefit?
January 9, 2004
A liberal group's ad gets a couple facts right, but leaves out the good stuff.
Browse past FactCheck articles:

Campaigns Launch Ad Wars in Cyberspace
February 20, 2004
Millions of computer users have been the targets of a pair of cyber attacks -- not from any virus or worm, but from the campaigns of President Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the leading Democratic presidential candidate. Terence Smith and guests discuss the strategy of Web-based political ads and the unique advantages of the Internet for campaign communications.

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

Bush Campaign Attacks Kerry Special Interest Record
February 13, 2004
Online Report: 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.

Michigan Tests Internet Voting in Caucuses
February 6, 2004
Voters in Michigan participated in the largest and most ambitious Internet voting experiment to date. Of the tens of thousands to vote in the Democratic caucuses on Saturday, roughly one-third will cast their ballots over the Internet.
Background Reports
Early Efforts: Alaska, Arizona Break Internet Voting Barrier
The Challenges: Technology, Digital Divide Call Into Question Internet Voting

Presidential Hopefuls Reach out to Voters in Seven States
February 3, 2004
With voters in seven states heading to the polls and caucuses on the same date, many Democratic presidential candidates chose to leave quaint campaign practices behind in Iowa and New Hampshire and take to the airwaves. Terence Smith examines the candidates' latest campaign television commercials.

Candidates Step up New Hampshire Ad Campaign
January 22, 2004
Online Report: Prior to the New Hampshire primary, Democratic presidential hopefuls deluged the region's TV outlets with advertisements that portray them as independent-minded candidates who can defeat President Bush.

Candid Coverage in Iowa
January 16, 2004
This election season, the broadcast networks are trying new approaches -- like operating "campaign buses" and "embedding" reporters -- to minimize costs and maximize their exposure. Terence Smith goes to Iowa for a closer look at what networks are doing differently and considers whether more coverage necessarily means better news.

More Americans Logging on for Campaign News, Study Finds
January 12, 2004
Online Report: More people are looking to nontraditional media sources, such as the Internet and late-night talk shows, for information about the 2004 presidential campaign, according to a new Pew Research Center report.

Poll Mania: The Use of Surveys in Journalism
October 15, 2003
With the onset of the 2004 presidential election, Terence Smith examines the concerns over news organizations' growing use of public opinion polls in their reporting.

Plugged in Politics
August 5, 2003
Terence Smith examines Howard Dean's success at fundraising and building grassroots support in cyberspace, and how other presidential candidates are using the Internet and other technologies to their advantage.

Special Interest Ads
January 12, 2000
Terence Smith reviews the differences between regular candidate ads and the issue ads produced by advocacy groups.

Additional Media Coverage:
Online NewsHour Media Watch

Past Online NewsHour Media Reports:
Covering Election 2000
Examining Election Night 2000

The Annenberg Political Fact Check, sponsor of FactCheck.org, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, funded primarily by an endowment from the Annenberg Foundation. Brooks Jackson, former reporter for The Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal, is the director of Fact Check.