• Shedding New Light on Dark Money

    Timothy Karr
    July 1, 2014
    Letting the FCC do its job means advancing the public's right to know at a time when political ad spending has run amok. Let the sun shine in.

  • Don't Believe the Spin. Dark Money Won.

    Timothy Karr
    November 20, 2012

    Before Nov. 6 is written into history, we need to challenge assumptions now circulating among Washington’s pundit class.

    First, the Obama victory didn’t signal the demise of big-money politics. It didn’t spell the end of the Super PAC. And the election wasn’t a train wreck for political advertising — even after groups paid billions for spots in support of losing candidates.

  • Spanish-Language TV Ads by the Numbers

    Josh Stearns
    November 7, 2012

    Free Press spent the final months of the campaign season traveling to swing states to visit TV stations that are not currently required to post their political files to the Federal Communications Commission’s new online database.

    When the FCC announced it would require broadcasters to upload data on political ad spending, it exempted all Spanish-language TV stations from posting this information until 2014.

  • Following Political Ad Money in Miami

    Josh Stearns
    November 6, 2012

    Since the Federal Communications Commission’s new online database of political ad data does not include information from Spanish-language stations, we at Free Press decided to take matters into our own hands. Free Press staff and volunteers visited Spanish-language stations in three battleground states — Colorado, Florida and New Mexico — to inspect the political files and post them online.

  • Missing Out: Political Ads, Spanish-Language TV and the Latino Vote

    Joseph Torres
    Josh Stearns
    November 5, 2012
    Latino voters will play a critical role in the 2012 presidential race. An estimated 12 million Latinos will cast ballots this November, making up a significant portion of the electorate in swing states like Colorado, Florida and Nevada. One might assume that the presidential candidates, political parties and Super PACs would spare no expense to win over Latino voters. After all, Latinos make up 17 percent of the U.S. population. But so far, that has not been the case.

  • Hijacking Democracy

    Timothy Karr
    October 26, 2012

    Former Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps gave a talk Thursday about whether the media will strengthen our democracy — or destroy it.

    His assessment — given after he spent more than a decade overseeing the industry — is disturbing. Copps has long argued that the media in general, and TV broadcasters in particular, need to do a lot more to nourish civic discourse.

  • District of Columbia or Domain of Cash?

    Amy Kroin
    October 24, 2012
    Las Vegas made news last week when the New York Times reported that more political ads have aired in Sin City than anywhere else this election season. In fact, stations there have shortened news programs just to accommodate the ad glut. There’s a similar dance going on in our nation’s capital.

  • Join the Money, Media and Elections National Data Happy Hour!

    Josh Stearns
    October 19, 2012

    Here at Free Press we’ve been talking a lot about how TV stations are raking in billions of dollars from political ads— and are failing to fact-check those ads, or cover the shady groups behind them.

    Now we want to pull back the curtain and let you see what’s going on behind the scenes at local TV stations. On Thurs., Oct. 25, Free Press and the Sunlight Foundation are holding a Money, Media and Elections National Data Happy Hour — and you’re invited!

  • Your Lying TV

    Timothy Karr
    October 19, 2012

    In 2012, politics are all about spreading lies and making money.

    And we’re not talking nickels and dimes. Campaigns and Super PACs are raising billions of dollars to win over voters. A large chunk of that money ends up in the pockets of local broadcasters who are selling off the airwaves to place political ads. And way too many of these ads are dishonest.

    If you're a television viewer in a battleground market that means having to endure a relentless stream of misinformation. Best estimates are that more than half a million political ads will air nationwide by Election Day.

  • In Las Vegas, the News Don't Come Cheap

    Candace Clement
    October 17, 2012

    It’s a known fact that TV stations are hitting the jackpot this year when it comes to political ads. But one city is taking it to a whole new level.

    The New York Times reported that Las Vegas has reached the top of the charts for the number of political ads aired — clocking in at about 10,000 ads per week, with at least 98 different ads in rotation.

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