Journalism of Courage
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This is an archive article published on March 26, 2007
On the attack, on YouTube
The famous ad featuring a woman hurling a hammer at the televised image of Big Brother was a marketing coup for Apple Computer in 1984.
March 26, 2007 12:00 AM IST
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2 min read
The famous ad featuring a woman hurling a hammer at the televised image of Big Brother was a marketing coup for Apple Computer in 1984. A new clip, featuring Hillary Clinton in place of the totalitarian ruler, has become the first significant attack video of the 2008 presidential campaign8230; Last year the Federal Election Commission codified rules for paid Internet advertising, which are similar to those for ads on broadcast and cable TV. Most important, a candidate must be sure to identify the source of the ad. But YouTube clips are cheap to produce, can be put up on the website at no cost, and have the advantage of anonymity. These videos are far more difficult to police than regular Internet ads.
The FEC is hesitant to regulate other forms of communication on the Internet, a sensible decision given the danger that any regulation there will impede free expression. The absence of official monitoring poses challenges for YouTube8230;
The anti-Clinton clip falls within the boundary of acceptability. It makes a point in a witty way8230; and is airing too early in the campaign to have a significant impact. The Huffington Post has unmasked the creator as a Barack Obama supporter, who denies the campaign was involved. Viewers can now evaluate the clip based on its source. And a Clinton supporter has subsequently doctored the video to put Obama in the Big Brother role, and put that on YouTube. Free speech has generated more speech to enhance the debate8230;
But suppose it was two or three days before a close election, and a scurrilous, deceitful, anonymous clip was posted on YouTube8230; Candidates should, of course, monitor all these sites and flag the offending videos. But doesn8217;t YouTube have an obligation to make sure these ads are swept from its site before they can do harm? YouTube today doesn8217;t have a policy against attack ads late in the campaign, but it should.
Excerpted from an editorial in 8216;The Boston Globe8217; March 23
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