With just three weeks to go before the mid-term elections, the negative attack ads are ramping up, but they're not necessarily truthful.
Experts say that truth in advertising is real when it applies to produces or services that are advertised on radio or television.
You can get in trouble if you lie about what you're providing the public.
But political analyst Jon Delano tells the Big K morning show that political candidates are exempt from that, because the Communications Act of 1934 specifically says that broadcast companies cannot censor political ads by candidates.
"Eccentrically, candidates have a license to lie and the hard part for those watching or listening is we don’t know what’s true and what isn’t true, because candidates are free to say whatever they want to say,” said Delano.
He says that if a candidate lies about another candidate, a defamation lawsuit is possible but it would never get resolved before Election Day.
The ads likely dominate your TV.
Mehmet Oz painting John Fetterman as weak on crime and tight-lipped about his health, while Fetterman portrays Oz an outsider and a medical fraud.
Duquesne University Political Science Professor Lew Irwin says don't expect the rhetoric to get much friendlier with negative advertising working better than positive ads.
Expect those ads to continue through Election Day, especially with polls tightening. The latest, an AARP poll showing Fetterman with a 2 percent lead.
Related
