Do political ads influence your vote?

    It’s hard to keep up with the facts at play in an election season — let alone the lies. Do political ads help influence your decision, or do they just get in the way?

    Two months doesn’t seem like a long time, but the continued dueling of political candidates might make the run-up to the presidential election seem like a pretty long haul.

    Last weekend’s On the Media looked at the free-wheeling spending of super PACs and their influence on the political narrative in this country. Guest Kathleen Hall Jamieson said that, while she believes most political ads have been technically truthful, voters in the post-Citizens United world will see more ads and more inaccuracy than ever.

    Do you draw a distinction between those released by candidates and those released by super PACs? (Do you know how to tell the difference?) Does it even matter?

    Tell us about how political ads influenceyou, if at all, in the comments below.

    What hope does the average voter have to make an informed decision in November?

    Independent, non-partisan fact-checking organizations like FactCheck.org and Politifact call out candidates on both sides of the aisle on their tall tales every day. FactCheck spinoff FlackCheck.org even uses snark and satire to try to break through to voters.

    We have Dave Davies getting heated up about super PACs spinning yarns. We have Emma Jacobs getting local reaction to Mitt Romney’s claim that Barack Obama is gutting Medicare.

    Do you look to fact-checkers to decipher the ads, or do know what’s what all by yourself?


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