Category Archives: campaigns

“Partisan Polarization Is the Primary Psychological Motivation behind Political Fake News Sharing on Twitter”

August 7, 2021, 7:23 amcampaigns, cheap speechDerek Muller

Recent article of note in the American Political Science Review: The rise of “fake news” is a major concern in contemporary Western democracies. Yet, research on the psychological motivations behind the spread of political fake news on social media… Continue reading

Facebook disables accounts tied to NYU research project that studied political ads

August 5, 2021, 4:59 amcampaignsDerek Muller

Bloomberg: Facebook Inc. has disabled the personal accounts of a group of New York University researchers studying political ads on the social network, claiming they are scraping data in violation of the company’s terms of service.The company also cut… Continue reading

“America’s Hidden Crisis of Power and Place”

August 2, 2021, 5:55 pmcampaigns, legislation and legislaturesDerek Muller

From David Fontana in the Washington Post Magazine. Perhaps a little Wendell Berry in our politics! A snippet: Paul Ryan was elected to Congress in 1998 from Janesville, Wis., current population about 64,000. Ryan attended college outside Wisconsin. He… Continue reading

“The Limited Power of Trump’s Endorsements”

July 27, 2021, 11:49 amcampaigns, political polarizationThe Big LieNed Foley

Mischiefs of Faction has new analysis of 2018 data. Their assessment: “Republican candidates looking for electoral success may want to think carefully before welcoming Trump’s endorsement.”

“Push polls increase false memories for fake news stories”

June 3, 2021, 9:09 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

New article in the journal Memory by Gillian Murphy, Laura Lynch, Elizabeth Loftus & Rebecca Egan. Abstract: Push polls are an insidious means of disseminating information under the guise of a legitimate information-gathering poll (e.g., “Would you… Continue reading

“Swiss Billionaire Quietly Becomes Influential Force Among Democrats”

May 3, 2021, 6:42 amcampaignsRick Hasen

NYT: He is not as well known as wealthy liberal patrons like George Soros or Tom Steyer. His political activism is channeled through a daisy chain of opaque organizations that mask the ultimate recipients of his money. But the Swiss… Continue reading

“The future of political advertising is connected TV”

April 15, 2021, 7:36 amcampaign finance, campaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

Axios: Political advertising has quickly begun to migrate over to connected TV (CTV), or digital and streaming television, according to new data.Why it matters: “If the current trends of explosive growth in CTV viewership continue, we could see a… Continue reading

“CEOs Plan New Push on Voting Legislation”

April 12, 2021, 6:41 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WSJ: Dozens of chief executives and other senior leaders gathered on Zoom this weekend to plot what several said big businesses should do next about new voting laws under way in Texas and other states.Kenneth Chenault, the former chief executive… Continue reading

“Why Are Republicans Upset About Corporate Free Speech All of a Sudden?”

April 12, 2021, 6:38 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy is a guest of Dahlia Lithwick on Slate’s “Amicus” podcast.

I Was on “All in With Chris Hayes” Talking About Trump’s Deceptive Fundraising Practices

April 6, 2021, 6:54 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

You can watch here (with registration, about 18 minutes into the show), or read the transcript.

“Trump argues that his fund-raising was ‘done legally,’ in response to a Times investigation.”

April 5, 2021, 3:45 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT reports.

“Inside a stealth ‘persuasion machine’ promising Republican victories in 2022”

April 4, 2021, 3:21 pmcampaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: Facebook page shows a child scampering down a school corridor, alerting Ohio families to a scholarship program.Chatter fills the same page with news ranging from a state anti-corruption bill to the vibrant local real estate market. “It’s a great… Continue reading

“How Trump Steered Supporters Into Unwitting Donations”

April 4, 2021, 3:00 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Must-read Shane Goldmacher NYT piece: Stacy Blatt was in hospice care last September listening to Rush Limbaugh’s dire warnings about how badly Donald J. Trump’s campaign needed money when he went online and chipped in everything he could: $500.It was… Continue reading