Spring Break
Students see political advertising in new light
Tyler Will
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Campus
Moakley also discussed the effect of the ads on the election.
"Whitehouse only won by 27,000 votes," she said. "It was very close. But the ads raised enough doubts."
The presentation was interactive; Moakley asked for responses from the audience, and, when volunteers were shy, she called on unsuspecting students.
"Whitehouse spent the bulk of his campaign attacking Chafee," said Jamie Morrone, who was commenting on the series of Chafee-Whitehouse ads. Morrone said the seminar helped her understand political ads. "I think I look at them critically regardless," she said.
Then Moakley showed ads from the current presidential campaign. One was of Hillary Clinton speaking, which was widely described as "cheesy" by the audience. A song by Celine Dion played in the ad's background. A second ad, from Sen. Barack Obama's campaign, portrayed highlights from several of his speeches, which have been highly attractive to young people.
"With Hillary Clinton, I look more at the glittery font," Morrone said. "Barack Obama makes me want to listen." The audience generally agreed with Morrone's opinions. Moakley was unsurprised, and said that Obama appeals to the young demographic.
Moakley showed an ad from the 2004 presidential election and put out by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which denounced Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, (D-Mass.), calling him a liar.
"There's no such thing as over the line, but if there was such a thing, that would be it," Moakley said. She called the ad "tremendously effective."
"Negative advertising works," Moakley said. "There's a certain context. It may be negative, it may be marginally true, but it works."
But Moakley ended on a positive note.
"Given peoples' expectations and given the variety of mediums, I think [the ads] are going to be a little less vicious than in the past," she said, citing internet sources like YouTube as mediums.
Library 120 instructor Kate Cheromcha expressed faith in the young generation of voters.
"You guys have very good bullshit meters," Cheromcha said. "These ads, they're made by old white farts and they're made to what they think you will respond to."
Moakley said restricted ads would violate freedom of speech and would not help make the elections more democratic.
"I think self-regulation is the only way to go," Moakley said. "You have to have free speech."
Scott MacKay, a political writer for the Providence Journal, was scheduled to appear but canceled due to illness, Kinnie said.
"Whitehouse only won by 27,000 votes," she said. "It was very close. But the ads raised enough doubts."
The presentation was interactive; Moakley asked for responses from the audience, and, when volunteers were shy, she called on unsuspecting students.
"Whitehouse spent the bulk of his campaign attacking Chafee," said Jamie Morrone, who was commenting on the series of Chafee-Whitehouse ads. Morrone said the seminar helped her understand political ads. "I think I look at them critically regardless," she said.
Then Moakley showed ads from the current presidential campaign. One was of Hillary Clinton speaking, which was widely described as "cheesy" by the audience. A song by Celine Dion played in the ad's background. A second ad, from Sen. Barack Obama's campaign, portrayed highlights from several of his speeches, which have been highly attractive to young people.
"With Hillary Clinton, I look more at the glittery font," Morrone said. "Barack Obama makes me want to listen." The audience generally agreed with Morrone's opinions. Moakley was unsurprised, and said that Obama appeals to the young demographic.
Moakley showed an ad from the 2004 presidential election and put out by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which denounced Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, (D-Mass.), calling him a liar.
"There's no such thing as over the line, but if there was such a thing, that would be it," Moakley said. She called the ad "tremendously effective."
"Negative advertising works," Moakley said. "There's a certain context. It may be negative, it may be marginally true, but it works."
But Moakley ended on a positive note.
"Given peoples' expectations and given the variety of mediums, I think [the ads] are going to be a little less vicious than in the past," she said, citing internet sources like YouTube as mediums.
Library 120 instructor Kate Cheromcha expressed faith in the young generation of voters.
"You guys have very good bullshit meters," Cheromcha said. "These ads, they're made by old white farts and they're made to what they think you will respond to."
Moakley said restricted ads would violate freedom of speech and would not help make the elections more democratic.
"I think self-regulation is the only way to go," Moakley said. "You have to have free speech."
Scott MacKay, a political writer for the Providence Journal, was scheduled to appear but canceled due to illness, Kinnie said.
