Tag Archives: no censorship of political ads

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

By David Oxenford on October 31, 2018 Posted in Political Broadcasting

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

Dealing with a Local Political Candidate Who Appears in a Spot Advertisement for a Commercial Business

By David Oxenford on May 31, 2018 Posted in Advertising Issues, Political Broadcasting

With election season upon us again, I’ve had one question that has come up repeatedly in the last few weeks about local candidates – usually running for state or municipal offices – who appear in advertisements for local businesses that they own or manage. Often times, these individuals will routinely appear in a business’ ads… Continue Reading

Political Candidate Ads Without the Candidate’s Voice or Image – What is a Station to Do?

By David Oxenford on June 10, 2016 Posted in Advertising Issues, Political Broadcasting

From time to time, questions come up as to whether it is acceptable for broadcast stations to air ads from a political candidate which do not feature the voice or, for TV, the image, of the candidate. Ads from Federal candidates should almost never be missing the recognizable voice or image, as there are Federal… Continue Reading

Ted Cruz Demands Takedown of PAC Ad Attacking His Voting Record – Issues that Broadcast Stations Need to Consider When Threatened by Candidate Wanting an Ad Pulled

By David Oxenford on February 17, 2016 Posted in Advertising Issues, Political Broadcasting, Programming Regulations, Television

According to Politico, Ted Cruz’ campaign has demanded that TV stations pull certain PAC ads which he claims distort his voting record on immigration issues. This kind of claim from a political candidate about the unfairness of attack ads is common. Here, Cruz’ representatives apparently don’t threaten lawsuits against the stations for running the ads,… Continue Reading

What’s a Broadcaster to Do When a Candidate Complains About the Truth of an Attack Ad? – Dealing with Ads from Non-Candidate, Third-Party Organizations

By David Oxenford on October 7, 2014 Posted in Advertising Issues, Political Broadcasting

As we move into the final weeks of the election season, and races heat up, there are always issues about attack ads and what a station needs to do when they receive a “take-down” notice from a candidate who is being attacked. We recently wrote about candidate ads, and the “no censorship” provision of Section… Continue Reading

Political Broadcasting Refresher Part 4 – No Censorship – How Can Candidates Get Away With Those Attack Ads?

By David Oxenford on September 24, 2012 Posted in Political Broadcasting

How can political attack ads get away with taking out-of-context statements of the candidates that they are attacking, and twisting these statements to convey meanings that were never intended by the candidate who first uttered the words? And how can political ads take a single line of an incredibly complex piece of legislation and use that… Continue Reading

Why Broadcasters Have To Air Political Attack Ads Even If They Don’t Want To

By David Oxenford on January 31, 2012 Posted in Political Broadcasting

With the Florida broadcast airwaves overrun with political ads in the last few days – the great majority of them attack ads – many ask why do broadcasters keep running those ads? Of course, there are revenue considerations. But as the attacks get nastier, and perhaps even go against the interest of the station owners themselves,… Continue Reading