Now compare this ad to an incident in the 2016 campaign where nothing was real: Pizzagate. The circumstances surrounding the crime were accurately described, the visual image was true to life even if sensationalized, and there were numerous news stories attesting to the facts of the case. īut both the program and Willie Horton were real. The ad features a scary photo of Willie Horton and under a photo of Michael Dukakis it says “Allowed Murderers to have Weekend Passes.” The weekend furlough program was created in 1972 under a Republican Governor as the result of a court decision. While out on furlough he kidnapped a young couple, stabbed the man and raped the woman.
Willie Horton, a black prisoner convicted of murder, was released on a prison furlough program in Massachusetts. It has gone down in history as one of the more offensive and racially incendiary ads ever. Bush (R) against Governor Michael Dukakis (D): the Willie Horton ad. For instance, let’s take one of the most infamous ads from the 1988 presidential campaign pitting Vice President George H.W. The latter may be offensive but they are based on something that is true as opposed to something that is a wholesale fabrication.
To do that, we should distinguish between dirty tricks and negative campaigning, including attack ads and contrast ads.
Thus it is fitting to begin working on the problem of defending democracy in the internet age by trying to understand the world of dirty tricks in the pre-internet age. While the medium may be different, the goals are as old as elections themselves. In America today, outrageous lies, doctored videos, and impostors try to influence elections alongside legitimate news and direct campaign communications from would-be leaders.
0 kommentar(er)
