Stand By Your Ad Disclaimers on Political Ads

Stand By Your Ad Disclaimers on Political Ads If youve watched television or paid attention to your mail in an election year, chances are youve seen or heard one of those political ad disclaimers. They come in many different varieties, but the most common is a straightforward declaration by the candidate who sponsored the ad: I approve this message. So why do candidates for Congress and president say those words, which mostly state the obvious? Theyre required to. Federal campaign finance rules require political candidates and special-interest groups to disclose who paid  for the political advertisement.  So when Barack Obama appeared in a campaign commercial during the 2012 presidential election, he was required to state: Im Barack Obama and I approve this message. The political ad disclaimers have done little to bring transparency to many of the most negative political ads, though - those launched by super PACs and other shadowy special interest who specialize using dark money to influence voters. The rules also dont apply to political ads on social media. Studies have shown the disclaimers have done little to make campaigns more positive because candidates are increasingly brazen, coarse and unafraid to throw mud on their opponents, even if the claims are dubious and unsubstantiated. Origins of Stand By Your Ad Law The law that requires candidates to state I approve this message is commonly referred to as Stand By Your Ad. It is an important component of the  Bipartisan  Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002, a sweeping statutory effort to regulate the financing of federal political campaigns. The first ads to contain the Stand By Your Ad disclaimers appeared in the 2004 congressional and presidential elections. The phrase I approve this message has been in use ever since. The Stand By Your Ad rule was designed to cut down on the number of negative and misleading advertisements by forcing political candidates to own up to the claims they make on television, radio and in print. Lawmakers believed many political candidates would not want to be associated with mudslinging for fear of alienating voters. I will bet this: there will be moments in the studios when the candidates say to the producers of the ads, Ill be damned if Im going to put my face on that, said Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who was instrumental in getting the provision signed into law. Examples of Political Ad Disclaimers The Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act requires political candidates to use the following statements to comply with the Stand By Your Ad provision: I am [Candidate Name], a candidate for [office sought], and I approved this advertisement. Or:   My name is [Candidate Name]. I am running for [office sought], and I approved this message. The Federal Election Commission also requires television ads to include a view or image of the candidate and a written statement at the end of the communication. Political campaigns have gotten creative about circumventing the regulations, though. Some candidates now go well beyond the standard I approve this message disclaimer to attack their opponents. For example, in the 2006 congressional race between Republican U.S.  Rep. Marilyn Musgrave and Democratic challenger  Angie Paccione,  Paccione used the required disclaimer to go negative on the incumbent: Im Angie Paccione,  and I approve this message because if Marilyn keeps lying about my record, Ill keep telling the truth about hers. In a New Jersey Senate race that year, Republican Tom Kean inferred that his Republican opponent was corrupt by  using  this line to fulfill the disclosure requirement: Im Tom Kean Jr. Together, we can break the back of corruption. Thats why I approved this message. Stand By Your Ad Doesnt Really Work In a 2005 study, the  Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress found that the  Stand By Your Ad rule had no effect on respondents levels of trust in candidates or the ads themselves.   Bradley A. Smith, a professor at  Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, and chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics, wrote in National Affairs that Stand By Your Ad was having negative effects on the political process: The provision has failed miserably to curb negative campaigning. In 2008, for example, researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that more than 60% of Barack Obamas ads, and more than 70% of ads for John McCain - that great crusader for restoring integrity to our politics - were negative. Meanwhile, the required statement takes up almost 10% of every costly 30-second ad - reducing a candidates ability to say anything of substance to voters. Research has also found that Stand By Your Ad has boosted the credibility of attack ads, having the opposite effect intended under the law. Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business found that â€Å"the tagline, far from disincentivizing negativity in advertising, has actually made it surprisingly effective,† according to study co-author Clayton Critcher.

10 Tips for Learning a Foreign Language as an Adult

10 Tips for Learning a Foreign Language as an Adult While the U.S. is home to over 350 different languages, according to a report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), most Americans are monolingual. And this limitation can negatively impact individuals, U.S. companies, and even the country as a whole.   For example, the AAAS notes that learning a second language improves cognitive ability, assists in learning other subjects, and delays some of the effects of aging. Other findings include that up to 30% of U.S. companies have stated that they’ve missed business opportunities in foreign countries because they didn’t have in-house staff who spoke the dominant languages of those countries, and 40% stated they could not reach their international potential because of language barriers.  However, one of the most striking and alarming examples of the importance of learning a foreign language happened at the onset of the 2004 avian flu epidemic. According to the AAAS, scientists in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries did not originally understand the magnitude of avian flu because they could not read the original research – which was written by Chinese researchers. In fact, the report notes that just 200,000 U.S. students are studying Chinese compared to 300 to 400 million Chinese students who are studying English. And 66% of Europeans know at least one other language compared to just 20% of Americans. Many European countries have national requirements that students must learn at least one foreign language by the age of 9, according to data from the Pew Research Center. In the U.S., school districts are typically allowed to set their own policies. As a result, the vast majority (89%) of American adults who know a foreign language say they learned it in their childhood home. Learning Styles for Children Children and adults learn foreign languages differently. Rosemary G. Feal, executive director of the Modern Language Association, says, â€Å"Children generally learn languages through games, songs, and repetition, and in an immersive environment, they often produce speech spontaneously.† And there’s a reason for that spontaneity. According to Katja Wilde, head of Didactics at Babbel, â€Å"Unlike adults, children are less aware of making mistakes and the associated embarrassment, and therefore, dont correct themselves.† Learning Styles for Adults However, Feal explains that with adults, studying the formal structures of the language is usually helpful. â€Å"Adults learn to conjugate verbs, and they benefit from grammatical explanations along with strategies such as repetition and memorizing key phrases.† Adults also learn in a more conscious way, according to Wilde: â€Å"They have strong metalinguistic awareness, which children don’t have.† This means that adults reflect on the language they learn. For example ‘Is this the best word to express what I want to say’ or ‘Did I use the correct grammar structure?’† Wilde explains. And adults usually have different motivators. Wilde says that adults typically have specific reasons for learning a foreign language. â€Å"Better quality of life, self-improvement, career advancements, and other intangible benefits are usually the motivating factors.   Some people believe that its too late for adults to learn a new language, but Wilde disagrees. â€Å"Although children tend to be better at subconscious learning, or acquisition, adults tend to be better at learning, because they are able to process more complex thought processes.† Try 10 tips for learning languages: 1) Know why youre doing it. 2) Find a partner. 3) Talk to yourself. 4) Keep it relevant. 5) Have fun with it. 6) Act like a child. 7) Leave your comfort zone. 8) Listen. 9) Watch people talk. 10) Dive in. Feal also recommends other ways for adults to learn a foreign language, such as watching TV shows and film in the target language. â€Å"In addition, reading written materials of all kinds, engaging in interactive conversations on the web, and for those who can travel, an in-country experience, can help adults make meaningful progress.† In addition to these tips, Wilde says that Babbel offers on-line courses that can be completed in bite-sized chunks, anytime and anywhere. Other sources for learning a new language include Learn A Language, Fluent in 3 Months, and DuoLingo. College students can also take advantage of study abroad programs where they can learn new languages and new cultures. There are several benefits to learning a new language. This type of skill can increase cognitive skills and lead to career opportunities - especially since multilingual employees can earn higher salaries. Learning new languages and cultures can also result in a more informed and diverse society.