Decision 2012: Finding the dirt slung on the campaign trail

"Opposition research" has become a big part of modern political campaigns. Political organizations employ hundreds of researchers to comb through records, interviews, statements, audio and video of an opposing candidate to isolate anything that makes the opponent appear foolish, hypocritical or corrupt. The organizations use the embarrassing material in attack advertising and to feed to the media.

Class discussion: Do your own research on the workings of opposition researchers. Find examples of how the research has been used to change the outcome of elections. Does the research information present a true picture of a candidate? Does it help keep a candidate honest, or does it reward the careful candidate who sticks to a script and says the least? What is the difference between giving information to a late-night comedy show and "feeding" it to a news reporter? Should reporters take extra care to disclose the source of this type of information?