third party political ads

Artificial Intelligence in Political Ads – Legal Issues in Synthetic Media and Deepfakes in Campaign Advertising – Concerns for Broadcasters and Other Media Companies

By David Oxenford|2023-07-21T11:15:35-05:00July 21st, 2023|Legal News|

Stories about “deepfakes,” “synthetic media,” and other forms of artificial intelligence being used in political campaigns, including in advertising messages, have abounded in recent weeks. There were stories about a superPAC running attack ads against Donald Trump where Trump’s voice was allegedly synthesized to read one of his tweets condemning the Iowa governor for not... Continue Reading…

With A Week to Go Before the Midterm Elections, Watch for Last Minute Unfounded Attack Ads – The Potential Liability of Stations for False Claims in Ads from PACs, Parties and Other Noncandidate Groups

By David Oxenford|2022-11-01T10:18:32-05:00November 1st, 2022|Legal News|

There is but a week to go before the mid-term elections, and political ads blanket the airwaves across the country. From discussions that I have had with many attorneys, broadcasters and other campaign observers, the ads this year have been particularly aggressive. Some publications have even suggested that, in the waning days of the campaign,... Continue Reading…

Political Broadcasting Issues to Consider Now for the 2020 Election Campaign

By David Oxenford|2019-05-31T10:23:07-05:00May 31st, 2019|Legal News|

The 2020 presidential elections already loom large, with one of the over 20 Democratic candidates for the Presidential nomination seemingly appearing on whatever TV talk show you tune into on your TV set. With the first debate among these candidates scheduled for late June, it seems like we have a real election already underway –...… Continue Reading

Demands to Pull Attack Ads in the Closing Days of the Election – What is a Station to Do?

By David Oxenford|2018-10-31T09:57:13-05:00October 31st, 2018|Legal News|

As we approach Election Day, the political ads seem to be getting more and more frequent, and often more and more nasty. We provided this overview of what a station should do when it gets an attack ad two years ago, and the ads have not become kinder in the intervening period, so we will...… Continue Reading

Political Broadcasting Issues that Radio and TV Stations Should Be Thinking About Now As We Approach a Very Active Election Season

By David Oxenford|2015-12-03T11:05:42-06:00December 3rd, 2015|Legal News|

With the broadcast and cable news (and the monologs of TV talk show hosts) already dominated by discussions of the 2016 elections, broadcasters thoughts may be turning to that election and the expected flood of money that may come into the political process. We are, after all, only two months away from the first ballots in… Continue Reading

The Election is Over, But the Complaints Keep Coming – Should Michael Bloomberg Have Been Identified as the True Sponsor of an Ad Run by his PAC?

By David Oxenford|2014-11-13T17:58:53-06:00November 13th, 2014|Legal News|

Even though the election is over, political broadcasting issues have not stopped. Yesterday, the same groups (the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, and the Sunlight Foundation) that had previously objected to the sponsorship identification of issue ads funded by PACs with a limited donor base have struck again. This time, they have filed a complaint with … Continue Reading

Another FCC Complaint about the True Sponsor of a PAC Political Ad – What’s a Station to Do?

By David Oxenford|2014-10-22T10:33:48-05:00October 22nd, 2014|Legal News|

Just a month ago, the FCC denied complaints alleging that Washington DC TV stations had not adequately identified the true sponsor of political ads sponsored by a political action committee. When that decision came down – denied on procedural grounds by the Commission – we warned that it opened the door to more complaints in … Continue Reading

Questions about the Truth of Political Ads, What’s a Broadcaster to Do When a Candidate Complains About an Attack Ad? – The No Censorship Rule for Candidate Ads

By David Oxenford|2014-09-23T10:48:32-05:00September 23rd, 2014|Legal News|

Every election season there is the same refrain from candidates who are attacked in political ads run on broadcast stations – that ad is unfair and the broadcaster who is running it should take it off the air. Sometime, that request is sent by a lawyer with threats to bring legal actions if the broadcaster … Continue Reading