I concluded from this that political consultants knew what they were doing. But you don't say they're lying. But this is nothing I would advise you to take on lightly. To start with, Jackson said reporters must separate factual assertions from gauzy mood-setting. Secondly, Jackson recommended, call the campaign producing the commercial and ask them to back up their statements.
Most campaigns now have such answers prepared in advance.
Or, if a commercial quotes a newspaper article find the original and see whether anything has been yanked out of context. Don Rose, a Chicago-based political consultant who worked for former mayors Harold Washington and Jane Byrne, responded to Jackson's thoughts by acknowledging that a consultant is not paid to tell the truth. Kent Cooper of Public Disclosure, Inc., urged reporters to start asking now for campaign finance information. More than likely, you're going to do partial truths. We want to go beyond giving information. . .