A 7 News analysis of an ad attacking U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer finds it omits key facts and lacks proper context. The TV spot was produced by the left-leaning League of Conservation Voters.
Reporter Tony Kovaleski dissected the ad and concluded under an objective lens, it is "closer to fiction" than fact. CU-Boulder Communication Department Prof. Jerry Hauser said political ads like this one are "selective" in the information they present in order to paint a biased image of a candidate.
Among the substantial omissions: The ad references $150,000 in campaign contributions from oil and gas interests, without mentioning that figure includes donations made to all Schaffer's federal campaign committees dating back to 1998. That sum is a small fraction of the total raised for the Fort Collins Republican's current Senate campaign, which has brought in over $3 million to date.
Schaffer is running against Rep. Mark Udall, D-Boulder, to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard.
Similar local environmental groups have met with criticism over their highly subjective and incomplete portrayal of politicians' records. Colorado Conservation Voters was challenged in 2007 over partisan bias in its legislative rankings, which are heavily referenced in campaign literature and mailings.
A second Channel 7 report released this week analyzes claims made in an advertisement produced by 2nd congressional district candidate Jared Polis.