In Depth with Dan: Answering viewer questions about political ads
DEVELOP.
>> THIS AS MANY OF YOU KNOW,
HE'S IN DEPTH WITH DAN
HAGGERTY. IT IS SERIES OF
SEGMENTS THAT WE DO WHAT WE ASK
FOR FEEDBACK AND INVOLVEMENT
FROM ALL OF YOU AT HOME.
I TACKLE DIFFICULT TOPIC.
SOMETIMES THINGS YOU CAN BE
CONTROVERSIAL. SOMETIMES I HAVE
AN OPINION ON THOSE THINGS.
IT IT ALL RELIES, THOUGH ON YOU
AND YOUR EMAILS IN YOUR IDEA.
SO PLEASE EMAIL ME. DAN AT WRAL
DOT COM RESPOND TO THE STORIES
THAT YOU SEE ITS COVER OR SEND
ME SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND
STORIES THAT YOU WANT TO SEE
US TACKLE ON THIS SEGMENT.
I STILL GET A TON OF E-MAILS
ABOUT OUR COVERAGE OF POLITICAL
LAST WITCH WHICH HAD FRANKLY
HIDE BEHIND FREE SPEECH TO
BLATANTLY AND INTENTIONALLY
MISLEAD YOU WITH LICE.
>> NOT THAT YOU CAN PAY, YOU
KNOW, NOW SHALL NOT LIE.
MAYBE EXAGGERATION IS
INAPPROPRIATE A WAY TO POLK AND
PEOPLE FLAT OUT LIE IN THESE
PUT IT LAST.
>> WELL, CERTAINLY THEY CAN.
AND THEY HAVE.
>> THERE WAS A VIEWER WHO
E-MAILED ME ABOUT APPARENTLY A
FORMER MEMBER OF THE NORTH
CAROLINA HOUSE SENT ME AN
E-MAIL THAT THEY POINTED OUT
THAT QUOTE, YOU CAN STILL BE
SUED FOR LYING. HE ALSO SHARED
A LINK TO A WRAL STORY IN 2014
WHERE GOVERNOR ROY COOPER, WHO
WAS ATTORNEY GENERAL AT THE
TIME SETTLED A LAWSUIT FOR
LIBEL OVER CAMPAIGN ADDED A
POLITICAL RIVAL SAID
MISREPRESENTED LAWYERS WHO HAD
WON A BIG CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
AGAINST THE STATE IN THE 90'S.
THIS IS THE E-MAIL THAT I GOT
MAKES A REALLY GREAT POINT.
IF YOU LIE IN A POLITICAL AD
FREE SPEECH WILL PROTECT YOU
FROM A LAWSUIT. BUT IT CAN MAKE
IT REALLY DIFFICULT TO WIN ONE
OF THOSE LAWSUITS, WHICH IS
WHY WE ALMOST NEVER SEE THEM.
>> THOUGH THE DEFAMATION CASES
ARE VERY HARD TO WIN BECAUSE
IF YOU'RE RUNNING FOR PUBLIC
OFFICE, YOU ARE WHAT THE LAW
CALLS YOU A PUBLIC FIGURE.
AND IF YOU ARE A PUBLIC FIGURE,
THAT MEANS THE ONLY WAY THAT
YOU CAN WIN A DEFAMATION CASE
IS BY SHOWING THAT THE PERSON
DEFAME E U KNEW WHAT THEY WERE
SAYING WAS FALSE.
>> AND THAT IS VERY, VERY
DIFFICULT TO DO, ESPECIALLY AS
AS WE'VE STATED SEVERAL TIMES
BEFORE THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE
JAGS HAVE LAWYERS LOOK AT THEM
FIRST, NOT TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEY'RE TRUE DID, BUT TO MAKE
SURE THAT THEY CAN'T BE SUED
OVER THEM. BUT EVEN IF YOU LOOK
AT THE COOPER CASE, THE ACTUAL
AD RAN BACK IN 2000 AND THE
CASE WASN'T ACTUALLY SETTLED IN
TILL 2014, 14 YEARS LATER, AN
EMPHASIS ON THE WORD SETTLED.
I MEAN, SOME COULD ARGUE THAT
COOPER IS PAYING THAT MONEY TO
MAKE IT ALL GO AWAY BEFORE HIS
RUN FOR GOVERNOR, WHICH CAME
SHORTLY AFTER THE ONLY REASON
IT WOULDN'T GO AWAY IS BECAUSE
THE LAW FIRM THAT WAS FILING
THE COMPLAINT WAS WILLING TO
RUN THAT LEGAL MARATHON FOR
MORE THAN A DECADE, WHICH WAS
PROBABLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN
JUST PAYING THE SETTLEMENT,
WHICH WAS $75,000. ALL THIS TO
SAY THIS KIND OF MONEY TALKS,
LAWLESS, WILD WEST POLITICAL
WORLD THAT WE SEEM TO LIVE IN
HIS LEFT SOME VIEWERS A BIT
ON EASY AND WANTING PROTECTION
FROM IT. DALE EMAILED ME THIS.
HE SAID FREE SPEECH WORKS BOTH
WAYS. DOESN'T WRAL HAVE AN
EQUAL RIGHT TO SCHOOL MESSAGE
UNDER THE ADDS TO IT WARNING
THIS MESSAGE MAY CONTAIN FALSE,
MISLEADING OR UNVERIFIED
INFORMATION. VIEWER DISCRETION
IS ADVISED. AND DWAYNE SENT
THIS. HOW ABOUT THE
BROADCASTING COMPANY YET?
AS YOU GUYS FOLLOW THE
UNTRUTHFUL AD WITH A SHORT
MESSAGE, NOTING THE AND
ACCURACY IN POINTING OUT THE
TRUTH AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT
WOULD JUST BE IMPOSSIBLE.
I MEAN, THERE ARE TOO MANY ADS
ARE TOO MANY CLAIMS AND IN
TRUTH, WELL, TRUTH IS AN
INTERESTING THING TO DEFINE.
WE LEARNED THAT EVERY TIME
ALL-STATE BRINGS OUT THE TRUTH
METER FOR POLITIFACT, ONLY HIS
TEAM ANALYZES CLAIMS MADE BY
POLITICIANS. CANDIDATES IMPACT
IN ADS AND ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL BUT THERE ARE SIMPLY TOO
MUCH TO CHECK. WE WOULD NEED
1000 PAUL SPACE TO MAKE THAT
HAPPEN.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T HAVE
1000 PAUL SPACE, BUT WE DO HAVE
ONE MINUTE. HE'S A PRETTY GOOD
JOB. SO LET'S TALK TO ABOUT
THE WORK. BUT HE DOES. PAUL,
WITH ALL OF THE THE DIFFERENT
CONTENT OUT THERE TODAY.
THE NEEDS TO BE FACT CHECKED.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHERE TO
FOCUS? WE'LL PUT SIMPLY WE I
TRY TO FOCUS ON WHAT PEOPLE ARE
TALKING ABOUT OFTEN. THAT'S
WHAT'S BEEN PUT ON THE AIRWAVES
AND POLITICAL ADS THAT ARE
BEING, YOU KNOW, BROADCAST FAR
AND WIDE. BUT
>> YOU'RE RIGHT. THERE'S A LOT
TO CONSIDER IN NORTH CAROLINA.
THERE ARE OVER 150 LEGISLATIVE
RACES. THERE'S 14 CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS THEIRS STATEWIDE
RACES. THERE'S A PRESIDENTIAL
RACE TO THINK ABOUT. AND SO
THERE'S A LOT OUT THERE AND WE
HAVE TO REALLY SPEND OUR TIME
WISELY DECIDING, YOU KNOW, WHAT
ARE PEOPLE GOING TO CARE ABOUT
AND WHICH CLAIMED OR MAYBE
GOING TO MAKE A OF THOSE RACES?
YOU KNOW, WE GIVE PEOPLE A LOT
OF SAY ON THIS SEGMENT TO
E-MAIL ME IN AND TALK ABOUT THE
TOPICS THEY'RE INTERESTED IN.
WHAT DOES THAT HELP AS WELL?
PEOPLE EMAIL YOU ABOUT THINGS.
YES, WE TAKE SUGGESTIONS.
I FEEL INVITED TO PARTICIPATE
IN THIS PROCESS BECAUSE THERE
ARE PEOPLE CALLING AND
E-MAILING US FROM THE POLITICAL
CAMPAIGNS AS WELL. THEY CALL US
UP AND SAY, HEY, DID YOU SEE
MY OPPONENT SAID THIS? THAT'S
OFF BASE. IT'S A PERSONAL
ATTACK OR ITS A
MISREPRESENTATION OF THE FACTS
IN THIS BILL OR THIS OR
WHATEVER. SO THE PEOPLE WHO
WERE RUNNING FOR OFFICE
PARTICIPATE. I I'D LOVE FOR
OUR VIEWERS TO KNOW, YOU KNOW,
OFTEN THE THINGS THAT YOU DO
NEVER REALLY FALL IN THESE
DEFINITE SIGNS OF OF TRUE OR
FALSE. THERE'S YOU USE THE
SPECTRUM, RIGHT? THERE'S A
THERE'S A SCALE THAT YOU USE.
>> I ASSUME THAT THAT KIND OF
COMPLICATES THINGS AS WELL TO
FIGURE OUT WHERE SOMETHING
FALLS, RIGHT. IT'S HARD TO SAY
WHETHER OR NOT AN AD IS
COMPLETELY TRUE ARE COMPLETELY
DO NATURE OF A POLITICAL ADS
SPECIFICALLY WHETHER THEY'RE ON
TV OR THE RADIO, THE SHORTENED
THE 15 SECONDS, 30 SECONDS.
AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF
CONTACTS BEING LEFT OUT.
THANKFULLY WE HAVE THE TRUTH,
THE METER AND SO WE DO CLAIMS
THAT ARE MADE IN THOSE WE TAKE
INTO CONSIDERATION HOW MUCH
CONTEXT IS BEING LEFT OUT AND
THEN WAS THAT CONTEXT IMPORTANT
OR WAS IT JUST WELL, SOME EXTRA
STUFF THAT IT WAS OK TO LEAVE
OUT FOR. AND THE BIGGER
PICTURE. WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND
WORK? WRAL DOT COM UNDER THE
POLITIFACT, TO ALL. THANK YOU.
STILL, THOUGH, STILL LOTS OF
VIEWERS. THEY WANT MORE.
OKAY. THEY WANT ACCOUNTABILITY
ON THEIR TERMS. THEY WON'T
TRUST.
>> AND I DON'T BLAME YOU.
JOSHUA SENT THIS ONE WHO IS
THE KING DECIDES WITCH AD IS
TRUE, WHICH IS NOT THEREIN LIES
THE PROBLEM WITH MEDIA
CORPORATIONS AND POLITICIANS.
I GOT SOME THOUGHTS ON WHEN
JOSH WAS EMAIL. MAYBE YOU DO TO
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
E-MAIL ME AT A STAND AT WRAL
DOT COM GET INVOLVED IN THIS
CONVERSATION AND OTHERS IT THAT
I THINK ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS
COMMUNITY. THE INDEX TEAM ALSO,
I SHOULD MENTION WHAT WE PLAN A
REALLY BUSY MONTH OR SO.
WE HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS AND
STORIES TO ROLL OUT. AND THAT
STARTS THIS WEEK. SO PLEASE
WATCH HERE AT 7 O'CLOCK.
FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND