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Spend a Little, Get a Lot: Swift Boat Attack Ads Get Free Press"
By Andrea Wood YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The political strategy of the veterans group attacking John Kerry's war record --- buy just enough TV time in a few small markets like Youngstown to generate free media mentions -- is working so well that more than half of the country has heard about or seen its first ad.Now a second attack ad produced by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is being shown and discussed on cable news programs -- and no advertising time has yet been purchased to broadcast the spot here or anywhere in the country.The attack ads were produced and paid for by the advocacy group that is funded in large part by major donors to the Republican Party who have ties to the Bush family and their associates, documents confirm.At least $50,000 worth of TV advertising time was purchased to broadcast the group's first ad in the Youngstown market, The Business Journal estimates based on contract figures supplied the newspaper. Youngstown is one of the seven markets earmarked by the veterans group for a $300,000 campaign seen last week. Yet the same ad was seen, free of charge, on TV screens across the country --many, many times.According to a survey of 2,209 adults conducted Aug. 9 to Aug. 16 by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, nearly 60% of the American public knows about the attack ad."The influence of this ad is a function not of paid exposure but of the ad's treatment in free media," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. "The advertisement has received extensive coverage, particularly on conservative talk radio and cable news channels and has been the subject of some attention in broadcast news as well." The Swift Boat group today released its second ad that it says will run next week. The spot shows excerpts, out of context, of Kerry's testimony before a congressional committee in 1971 to paint the presidential candidate as a traitor to veterans. At the time, Kerry had completed his tour of duty and was active in opposing the Vietnam war. The Washington Post is expected to report Saturday morning that many of the Swift Boat veterans who are now attacking Kerry now admit they are doing so because he opposed the war. Yesterday the newspaper reported that one of the vets who claimed Kerry lied to secure the Bronze Star received the same medal for the same incident -- and his citation reads the same as Kerry's. The veracity of statements made by veterans appearing in the first Swift Boat ad has been challenged by Kerry and other news organizations. Today The New York Times unearthed documents revealing that some of the vets now attacking Kerry went on the record 35 years ago with glowing comments about his heroism in battle. Time magazine is expected to similarly shred the accusations in its next cover story.Late Friday the Kerry campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission claiming the Swift Boat ads were untrue and the campaign was "illegally coordinated" with the Republican Party and the Bush-Cheney campaign."Based on recent press reports and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's own statements, there is overwhelming evidence [the advocacy group] is coordinating its expenditures on advertising and other activities designed to influence the presidential election with the Bush-Cheney campaign," the campaign said in a statement.The Democratic National Committee announced Friday that a new TV ad will appear next week in battleground states featuring a testimonial from retired Air Force Gen. Merrill McPeak who says he voted for President Bush in 2000 but will vote for Kerry this year. The party has purchased about $75,000 in advertising time in the Youngstown television market, The Business Journal estimates, for spots to appear over the next two weeks.Last week, when Vice President Dick Cheney ridiculed comments Kerry made regarding how he would be sensitive in handling the war on terrorism, McPeak issued a statement assailing Cheney. "No one disputes these facts: John Kerry volunteered for active military service when many others—including President Bush and Vice President Cheney—found a way to avoid it," the retired general said. "[Kerry] came under intense hostile fire, was wounded three times and was decorated for gallantry. Do the president and vice president really want to have a debate about who is more suited to fight the war in Iraq and the war on terror? Do they really want a debate?" Also bringing up the president's military service is the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org, which is broadcasting an ad on Youngstown stations (and nationwide) that questions Bush's attendance record in the National Guard.On Thursday the Kerry campaign purchased about $25,000 of advertising time on Youngstown television stations, The Business Journal estimates, for a rebuttal ad that refutes allegations in the first Swift Boat ad.CBS News reported Thursday that Kerry's support among veterans has slipped 9 percentage points since he was nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention -- and the veterans' attack ad began appearing.At WKBN-TV, where the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth purchased more than $21,000 worth of air time since the convention, station personnel say the receptionist is taking quite a few calls from viewers who say they don't like the ad. The volume of calls is considered remarkable because very few viewers call to comment on anything.According to the Annenberg survey, if a person watching the attack ad favors the re-election of George W. Bush, they're likely to conclude the ad is truthful. If they favor John Kerry, they're likely to find the ad is false. Independents are split almost evening, the survey found.Moreover, those holding less favorable opinions of Kerry were more likely to report having seen the commercial. Forty-one percent of those unfavorable toward Kerry saw the advertisement compared to 31% of those holding a favorable opinion of Kerry."Research on selectivity suggests that individuals are more likely to be exposed to messages that are consistent with the beliefs that they already hold," said Talia Jomini Stroud, a graduate research fellow with the Annenberg Public Policy Center. "It is not always clear whether individuals purposefully seek out this information or happen across it based on their regular media and communication patterns."Respondents who saw or heard about the ad are split about its believability, the survey found. Forty-six percent find the ad very or somewhat believable and 49%find the ad very or somewhat un-believable. Seventy percent of those with favorable opinions of Bush find the advertisement somewhat or very believable while 19% of those with favorable opinions of Kerry find it believable. Among Independent voters, 44% find the ad somewhat or very believable while 49% find the ad somewhat or very unbelievable.The Annenberg center's political ad fact-check project, FactCheck.org, last week assessed the accuracy of claims made by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and pointed out numerous inconsistencies in a detailed report. http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=231The fact-check project has also documented false claims in TV ads produced by the Kerry and Bush campaign, both politcal parties and other advocacy groups.BACKGROUND STORIES ON THE CONTROVERSY:Fact Check Project Evaluates Swift Boat AdSwift Boat Veterans Buy More Ad TimeYoungstown TV Stations Broadcast Veterans' Attack Ad"