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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 18h

Public service announcements help people. Campaign ads help candidates and parties. These are campaign ads. “I don’t think any public official, including President Trump … should spend public money on private ads for themselves..." Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) thehill.com/homenews/sen...

thehill.com

GOP senators push back on Trump’s taxpayer-funded ad

President Trump’s new government-funded ads pledging to “cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists” are getting strong pushback from Senate Republicans who are warning the president not …

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 20h

What is legal and what is ethical aren't always the same thing. Taxpayer funded PSAs promote things like vaccines or voting. Trump's ads promote Trump. That's wrong. "These ads should be clearly illegal, but alas, they are not." Are Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads Legal? www.thefp.com/p/are-trumps...

thefp.com

Are Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads Legal?

The president has kept on the right side of the law in several recent controversies, from talk of sending ICE to polling places to trying to deport Mahmoud Khalil, writes Jed Rubenfeld.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

AI chatbots are citing "pink slime" sites that post partisan news under the guise of local independent papers at high rates, which raises ethical concerns surrounding the role of chatbots in promoting and legitimizing undisclosed partisan content to readers. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

politico.com

‘Pink Slime’ Is Infecting AI Chatbots Ahead of the Midterms

Partisan websites disguised as independent, local news outlets are shaping chatbots’ responses about key races.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Project director Peter Loge was quoted in an AP News article: "If the President always likes everything a reporter writes, that reporter isn’t doing their job. If someone doesn’t like to be criticized by the press, they shouldn’t run for president.” apnews.com/article/bide...

apnews.com

FACT FOCUS: No, Biden did not revoke the White House press passes of more than 400 journalists

Social media users are claiming that the Biden administration revoked the White House press passes of more than 400 journalists. This is false.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The White House is airing an ad paid for with taxpayer money, potentially violating federal law. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, calls it “blatantly unethical.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...

nytimes.com

‘Love Me’ Ad Promotes Trump With Public Money Ahead of the Midterms

A disclaimer says the ad was paid for by the U.S. government, which could violate federal law.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A report from @propublica.org highlights the gray areas of lobbying and campaign ethics. Maybe quid pro quo, maybe nods and winks, maybe campaigns and staff saying nodding along to get support and donors (maybe) wrongly thinking that means they own a legislator. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...

propublica.org

The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way

After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

From @thefp.com: Our country has tolerated the press writing “negative stories” more or less since its founding. It’s a freedom enshrined in our First Amendment." Every other news outlet across the political spectrum should join The Free Press in condemning Trump's authoritarian move.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The US Attorney General must be, and be seen to be, outside of politics. The AG's job is enforcing the law, not deciding what the law should be. Blanche’s Political Campaigning Breaks an Ethical Norm Going Back to Watergate www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/u...

nytimes.com

Blanche’s Political Campaigning Breaks an Ethical Norm Going Back to Watergate

The attorney general’s campaign politicking for Republicans adds to the degradation of post-Watergate values at the Justice Department.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

This is anti-democratic. The White House Correspondents Association should speak out and every other outlet should refuse to attend White House briefings until this nonsense is reversed. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09...

nytimes.com

Live Updates: CNN and MS NOW Reporters Denied White House Access After Trump Announces Ban

President Trump announced a ban on Friday on the outlets, whose coverage he deems unfair. The move will likely be challenged in court.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

President Trump has favorably invoked a racist ad from the 1988 presidential campaign to support Republican candidates. The Willie Horton ad was wrong in 1988, it's still wrong in 2026. www.inquirer.com/politics/ele...

inquirer.com

Trump refers to Black man from racially offensive 1988 campaign ad while stumping in North Carolina

President Donald Trump is using the racist tropes of a controversial ad from the Bush-Dukakis campaign to criticize Democrats on crime.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Candidates across the political spectrum should clearly denounce deceptive ads like these. Lying in campaigns with AI is lying, and lying should be condemned by everyone involved in campaigns. www.24newshd.tv/15-Sep-2026/...

24newshd.tv

Russian disinformation campaign sets sights on US midterms

A Russian disinformation operation has turned its attention to the US midterm elections, unleashing a series of deepfake videos that depict celebrities

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

After a weekend of AI insiders generating hype and doomerism, Congress and the Trump administration wrestle with an ethical question—allow AI development to continue unrestrained, or impose guardrails and risk falling behind? apnews.com/article/trum...

apnews.com

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Credit to Sen. Cornyn for calling out racism by a fellow Republican. Hopefully more will follow his lead.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Misleading ads from the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor in Ohio. Ads that point out flaws in candidates can help voters make informed decisions. Ads that distort or ignore the truth undermine politics. local12.com/news/local/t...

local12.com

Truth Squad: Fact checking attack ads as race for Ohio governor heats up

With less than 60 days before Election Day and absentee voting beginning in Ohio next week, the race for governor is intensifying.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Hucksters making stuff up about news and politicians isn't new. But AI, social media, and financial incentives make it easier and more widespread than ever. Lies and nonsense are bad for politics, erode public trust, and weaken democracy. www.semafor.com/article/09/0...

semafor.com

Exclusive: Paid actors, AI writing: How a new kind of video business cashed in on America’s divided politics

‘Ghost creators’ are reaching millions of viewers with nearly identical, sensationalized videos that take aim at Democrats.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Political candidates, elected officials, and pundits should clearly condemn threats or intimidation. Rhetoric that threatens judges is rhetoric that threatens justice. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Democracy is an ongoing conversation about what to do next - the deliberation is both a means and an end of democracy. Prediction markets risk turning deliberation into a game to be won or lost rather than something in which to participate for its own sake. www.npr.org/2026/08/28/n...

npr.org

What a fake poll reveals about worries around prediction markets and the midterms

While a stunt involving fake polls may not have been an effort to rig prediction markets, concerns are growing ahead of the midterms about other attempts to influence the betting sites.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

This by Jenna Monnin in @notus.com raises two ethical issues If the clip is fake it is wrong and should be condemned If the clip is legit it is evidence of the liar's dividend - a lot of people think AI fakes a lot, so it's easy to dismiss the truth as one more lie www.notus.org/2026-electio...

notus.org

Michigan Congressional Candidate Says Viral Clip of His Voice Is a ‘Fabrication’

Democratic nominee Jeremy Moss said the audio clip was manipulated and “peddles in offensive tropes and lies.”

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Thoughtful piece from former Nixon speechwriter, and friend and colleague in the School of Media and Public Affairs at GW, Lee Huebner. In the wake of a 1960 election that Nixon could have legitimately contested, he chose to concede because it was better for the country. wapo.st/4gRRjFv

wapo.st

Opinion | What MAGA fails to understand about Richard Nixon

Respecting election results and court rulings isn’t in vogue today in some Washington circles.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Buried in a story about what looks like fraud is a claim that Republicans are running as a Green Party candidate to divide the liberal vote. A lot of ethical flags here. ‘With 1,000% certainty’: Voters say candidates faked their donations to get public campaign cash azmirror.com/2026/08/25/w...

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Terrific piece on the ethics of using polls in politics.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Candidates shouldn't take comments out of context to deceive voters. More media and pundits should call out Donalds' behavior. Byron Donalds’ ad deceptively edited David Jolly clip on gender-affirming care www.wlrn.org/government-p...

wlrn.org

Byron Donalds’ ad deceptively edited David Jolly clip on gender-affirming care

Ahead of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ win in Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary, he launched an attack ad against Democratic nominee David Jolly over transgender issues.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Conservative news site Town Hall is promoting misleading ads in Texas. Ads meant to mislead voters are unethical. Media should not take any campaign ad as a sole source of information and should call out misleading ads, no matter their politics. www.dallasobserver.com/news/fact-ch...

dallasobserver.com

Fact-checking Ken Paxton's Senate campaign commercial

This will likely come as a shock to you, but the Texas attorney general might not have been totally honest in his TV commercial.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

New tech highlites old questions. Misleading, poorly executed, or systematically biased polls have long helped drive donations and shape races. Now we're drowwing in information and adding prediction markets to an already ethically suspect field. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/u...

nytimes.com

Why Polling Chaos Could Create Big Problems for American Politics

Bad polls. Misleading betting odds. Surveys meant to shape narratives. Ahead of the midterms and 2028, there is suddenly serious confusion about candidate strength and voter sentiment.

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Reposted by Project on Ethics in Political Communication

Alison Frankel @alisonfrankel.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

🚨Great job opening at the Ethics and Journalism Initiative at NYU! We're looking for a young journalist to help us run the Collier Awards, our newsroom ethics training program, and our website. Full-time job with full NYU benefits. Details: apply.interfolio.com/190705 Please help me spread the word!

apply.interfolio.com

Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Outside dark money groups in Maine are running deceptive ads attacking both incumbant Republican Senator Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson. What if the campaigns put out a joint statement asking outside groups to stay out of the race? www.bangordailynews.com/2026/08/19/p...

bangordailynews.com

Ad on Troy Jackson and Social Security joins wave of misleading claims in Maine Senate race

The spot from Pine Tree Results PAC is the latest escalation in an already turbulent season shaped by attack ads from outside groups.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

A way to avoid "the stakes are high so we'll look away" rationalizations is to draw clear lines before campaigns start, and then stick to those lines. If candidates know voters won't tolerate certain behavior, they are less likely to behave badly. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

politico.com

The midterms of scandal are underway

Both parties have navigated a range of scandals this year — and haven’t found a uniform approach to handling them.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

From actions like those taken by FiftyPlusOne, to fake polls, to the ethics of horse-race coverage, and more, there is a lot to discuss when it comes to ethics and polling. We’re suspending two pollsters from FiftyPlusOne for ethics violations open.substack.com/pub/fiftyplu...

open.substack.com

We’re suspending two pollsters from FiftyPlusOne for ethics violations

Both pollsters appear to have failed to disclose that a campaign paid for their surveys, and one admits to changing voters’ responses in favor of the candidate that allegedly paid for the survey.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The president's behavior is obviously inappropriate and should be called out by journalists at other outlets. White House attacks CNN reporter after Trump clash, invoking her children www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

washingtonpost.com

White House attacks CNN reporter after Trump clash, invoking her children

The president shushed CNN’s Kristen Holmes in the Oval Office, and later an official White House account said her children would be “embarrassed” by her.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Can markets move polls and outcomes (bandwagon effect)? Can outcomes that don't match prediction markets be a hook on which election deniers can hang false claims ? Can gambling on the deliberative process at the core of our democracy ever be ethical? www.wired.com/story/electi...

wired.com

Election Officials Are Preparing for Prediction Markets to Sow Chaos in the Midterms

From threats to the safety of poll workers to voters who can’t distinguish between odds and results, prediction markets are already scrambling the political process.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

A short list of political communication ethics resources for faculty teaching political communication and campaigns this fall. Please add to it in the comments.

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

MIsleading voters about an opponent's position is unethical. Bills before Congress often contain amendments meant to make a political point rather than impact policy. Misleading claims about someone's views is one result. www.factcheck.org/2026/08/alas...

factcheck.org

Alaska Senate Candidates Attempt to Link Each Other to Epstein - FactCheck.org

In Alaska's tossup Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola has put out a new ad misleadingly accusing Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of casting "the deciding vote" to keep the Epstein files "hidden." While S...

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