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Project on Ethics in Political Communication

@policommethics.bsky.social
324 followers 177 following 314 posts

The Project on Ethics in Political Communication in the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University promotes the study, teaching and practice of political communication ethics. The Project is led by Peter Loge, @ploge

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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 1h
More money, from more places, is being thrown at more campaigns than ever before. Technology is changing how campaigns identify and communicate with voters. Public trust in everything is down. And the agency charged with enforcing the law can't do its job. www.cbsnews.com/news/fec-mid...
cbsnews.com
Weeks before Election Day, the nation's campaign finance regulator can't enforce the law
The Federal Election Commission is down to just two members ahead of what's projected to be the most expensive election cycle on record.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
In 1782 Ben Franklin issued a real suppliment to a real Boston newspaper in which he wrote an oped with damning and false accusations about the British. As always, it's the lying that matters, not the tech that produces it.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
We applaud @spj-posts.bsky.social for continuing to keep journalism grounded in core ethics while updating its code to reflect a rapidly changing media landscape.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The obviously correct decision. If someone doesn't want to be criticized by the press, even in ways that seem unfair, they shouldn't go into politics. www.cnn.com/2026/10/08/p...
cnn.com
Live updates: Judge hears CNN, MS NOW and Politico’s request on Trump’s press ban | CNN Politics
A federal judge is hearing arguments on the request by CNN, MS NOW and Politico to extend his earlier order restoring the outlets’ access to the White House amid President Donald Trump’s attempt to ba...
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
What are the ethics of paid influencers in politics? Should they disclose if they're getting paid? Should they follow broadcast TV ad rules? Or is it all fair-game? campaignsandelections.com/industry-new...
campaignsandelections.com
'Creator Rally' Aims to 'De-Risk' Politics for Influencers Ahead of Midterms
The goal of the virtual confab: to give creators, both budding and established, a framework for how to talk politics ahead of the midterms.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A real looking headline doesn't make something real news. "...dark-money group have spent more than $1.3 million on Facebook ads that attack Democrats through pages posing as news outlets." - @kylewilsontharp.bsky.social www.chaoticera.news/p/to-persuad...
chaoticera.news
To persuade voters, campaigns and PACs make their own news brands
On both sides of the aisle, campaigns and political groups are spending big on news-looking brands to reach voters on Facebook.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Good on Newsom for condemning this unethical rhetoric right away.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
No, it is plain unethical to even joke about letting a foreign nation "take out" any American city as President. This kind of rhetoric needs to be condemned by reporters, politicians and voters alike.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
No responsible leader should ever even suggest that he would let a foreign nation "take out" any American city. Rhetoric like this should be condemned by politicians and rejected by voters. www.cnn.com/2026/10/06/p...
cnn.com
Trump draws backlash after he suggests Iran could ‘take out’ Los Angeles or San Diego | CNN Politics
Officials in California denounced comments made by President Donald Trump as “dangerous” on Monday after he appeared to suggest Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego – major cities in a state...
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Good to see the president doing the right thing. Facing Backlash, Trump Says His Super PAC Will Pay for Taxpayer-Funded Ads www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/u...
nytimes.com
Facing Backlash, Trump Says His Super PAC Will Pay for Taxpayer-Funded Ads
The president said that his PAC, MAGA, Inc., would pay for TV ads promoting him that had been paid for with taxpayer money.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
“He has succeeded, by his own terms, in demonstrating that almost everything about America was not law-based but norm-based,” said Paul Rosenzweig. “And by breaching the norms without fear of consequence, he has redefined the norms.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/u...
nytimes.com
How Trump Moved Ethical Lines With His Ads, Businesses and Summits
The president’s decision to hold an international summit at his own private golf club, an idea rejected in his first term, illustrates how much he has shattered norms.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Catch Project director @ploge.bsky.social discussing the ethics surrounding Trump's media ban on the @legaltalknet.bsky.social podcast, #Lawyer2Lawyer.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This exemplifies the ethical difference between simply profiting from government decision-making and being the both the decision-maker and the profiteer
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This blatantly unethical move dehumanizes people in the immigration system and desensitizes players to its real-world violence and harm. www.democracyrenovator.com/cp/217443473
democracyrenovator.com
Can Democracy Survive a Culture of Cruelty?
From a dehumanizing deportation game to the AfD’s school agenda, the right is remaking identity. The states are our wall — if they defend culture, too.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The White House recently put out "Rio Run," which gamifies the Trump immigration policy with a white player chasing after brown-skinned people in an effort to turn them into orange jumpsuits and "deport" them.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
As election day gets closer and campaigns get tighter, political claims get more tenuous. If a claim is questionable in August, it's questionable in October. themainemonitor.org/epstein-ad-c...
themainemonitor.org
Epstein attack ad on Susan Collins oversells its biggest claims
The ad is referencing Collins and other Republicans voting last September to table a Democratic amendment attaching disclosure to a defense bill.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Probably illegal, definitely unethical.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
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 · 30/09/2026
What is legal and what is ethical aren't always the same thing. Elected officials (like the rest of us) should do what is right, not merely what is allowed.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
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 · 28/09/2026
But will major news networks continue to stand up to Trump's unethical behavior, or prioritize their own profit and status? Does Trump need the media more than they need him?
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
AI ads present a huge ethical question right now. Is it unethical to release AI-created ads across the board, or only when they contain disinformation or place politicians in fictitious situations?
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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
The President of the United States is defying a court because he doesn't like what some journalists report. This is anti-democratic and wrong. www.ms.now/news/ms-now-...
ms.now
Some MS NOW, CNN and Politico journalists denied White House access despite overnight ruling
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore White House access to journalists from the outlets.
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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 · 23/09/2026
We need to be considering the ethical implications of automating personalized persuasion with generative AI. Could this enhance communication between politicians and their constituents, or detach constituents and representatives even further?
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
President Trump is violating the US Constitution for political purposes. www.thefp.com/p/jed-rubenf...
thefp.com
Trump’s Media Ban Is Unconstitutional
The president could bar all press from the White House if he wanted, but he can’t single out a few outlets he dislikes, writes Jed Rubenfeld.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The White House Correspondents' Association steps up: "The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably." whca.press/2026/09/19/w...
whca.press
WHCA: Revoking access for journalists violates the First Amendment | White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA)
Today’s action revoking access for journalists from CNN, POLITICO, and MSNOW violates the First Amendment. The implications extend beyond these organizations: a standard used to exclude one news outle...
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Baseless attacks on the integrity of elections undemine public trust in a core democratic insitution. Without that trust, democracy dissolves. www.npr.org/2026/09/21/n...
npr.org
Many GOP candidates still echo Trump's 2020 claims. Lots of voters want to move on
While many Republican candidates, even in some critical tossup races, still back President Trump's baseless claims about election integrity, some GOP voters say they are ready to move on.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The right decision.
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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 · 18/09/2026
This is, of course, absurd. The WHCA should assert its authority and other outlets should refuse to cover the White House until this nonsense is reversed. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/b...
nytimes.com
Trump Says He Has Banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico From White House
In an insult-laden post on Truth Social, President Trump said he was instituting the ban because of reporting from the outlets that he deemed “fake news.”
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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 · 15/09/2026
Racist posts like French's stop when voters punish candidates who post racist statements. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
politico.com
‘Profoundly unhelpful’: Texas Republicans worry Bo French’s xenophobic posts make a tough year worse
GOP operatives fear Bo French’s rhetoric could undermine the party’s recent gains with Hispanic and Asian American voters.
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"The payments represented an extraordinary flouting of ethical norms for an American president’s family." Russian Businessman Paid for Donald Trump Jr.’s Lavish Wedding After-Party www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/u...
nytimes.com
Russian Businessman With Putin Ties Paid for Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Party
The payments, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, represented an extraordinary flouting of ethical norms for an American president’s family member.
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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 · 14/09/2026
Misleading voters is wrong, no matter what technology is used. www.keranews.org/politics/202...
keranews.org
Ken Paxton put out an AI-generated attack ad. He’s not the only one
Increasingly, political candidates are using AI to depict their opponents in advertisements.
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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
Donald Trump told supporters to cheat in the election. That claim should be condemned by candidates and elected officials across the political specturm. www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
pbs.org
WATCH: Trump leads RNC in pledge to 'cheat like hell' in November elections
After President Donald Trump told attendees at the Republican midterm convention Thursday night that “we want honesty in our elections,” he led them in a pledge to “cheat like hell” and “go out and vo...
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Project on Ethics in Political Communication @policommethics.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Elected officials and candidates should clearly and immediately condemn threats and political violence, no matter the setting or source. home.mirs.news/post/rogers-...
home.mirs.news
Rogers Hammers El-Sayed On Terrorism; Convention-Goer Later Yells ‘He Should Be Shot’
Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers used his national convention speech today to portray Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed as sympathetic to extremists and hostile to American values, hours be...
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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 · 07/09/2026
Inventing or implying unproven connections to Epstein may make for good ads, but that doesn't make them ethical. www.wral.com/news/state/f...
wral.com
Fact-checking claims about US Senate candidates and Jeffrey Epstein
Why Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender who died in 2019, is being mentioned in U.S. Senate races in Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, and other battleground states.
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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 · 31/08/2026
Putting a face on an issue is an important tool in persuasion. But doing so without permission is unethical and can be cruel. thehill.com/homenews/sta...
thehill.com
Ohio family decries use of photo in Republican Senate ad
Republicans are facing backlash for a Senate campaign ad that tied Democratic candidate and former Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) to a highway accident. The victims’ family is speaking out against the u…
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