SPOKANE, Wash. — You might have seen a graphic political ad this morning during an ABC commercial break on “The View.”
Many viewers across the country have been asking why television stations are airing it. The reason is because we are required to.
The Communications Act, which was passed in 1934, creating the FCC which restricts all broadcast networks licensed by the FCC from censoring a political candidate’s ad, even if the ad is graphic or inaccurate.
This rule applies only to legally qualified candidates.
The specific ad in question was released by Randall Terry, a Constitution Party candidate on the ballot for president in several states, including Idaho.
Terry’s campaign focuses largely on anti-abortion activism. He has released ads across the country showing graphic images of aborted fetuses.
“When people are approached with content that is either filled with materials they find disgusting or fearful, it can actually dampen voting intentions,” said Dr. Rebecca Donaway, a political communications specialist from Gonzaga University. “Instead of it having a negative impact on the candidate itself, it can influence the perception of politics as a whole.”
Terry has stated in interviews his motive is not to win the election, but rather to get Kamala Harris lose.
Dr. Donaway said ads like these, however, can lead some to not vote in the election altogether.
“If someone watches this and feels like they are so moved one way or the other, but they don’t like their options to vote, they may disengage from the voting process altogether which is really problematic for American electoral politics,” Donaway said.
Terry said in an interview his ads target the Roman Catholic community and African American community.
Dr. Donaway said while this ad is likely not going to be popular with most of the public, it could impact low-information voters.
“For the low information voters that are not going to go out of their way to follow a campaign or follow local news, television campaign ads can be more effective at changing minds. But for the large majority of Americans, a single ad aired this far out from the election is unlikely to really move the needle,” she said.
For more information on the FCC’s political programming rules, click here.
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