Now Playing on Newspaper Web Sites: Campaign '06 TV Spots

By: Joe Strupp With newspapers expanding political coverage on their Web sites this year more than ever before, including wide use of blogs, among the most effective - and entertaining -- uses of their Internet editions have been links to political ads.

Although major dailies from The New York Times to The Washington Post have been analyzing such ads for effectiveness and factual honesty for years, only recently have the moving images themselves been placed online by the papers. At least three dailies, the Times, the Post and Los Angeles Times are offering readers a chance to view the ads, most from candidates nationwide, via their Web pages.

"If you are into political ads, you can just park there and watch," said John Harris, national politics editor of the Post, which had not posted them in the past and boasts 98 such ads. "You can see what the ads are and come to some conclusions."

The ads are offered through the Post's own Web files, links to candidates' sites, and often via YouTube.com, the growing post-your-own-video Web site that lists more than 400 entries under "political ad."

And even if you are not a political junkie, watching the television promotions can offer a bit of entertainment, if not a lesson in how political operatives view the average voter. Most are negative, and an overwhelming number - at least those offered by the newspaper sites - focus on national security, crime prevention, immigration or corruption.

The Post appears to have compiled the most, categorized by candidate, state, level of government and even labels -- from "attack" to "biographical." There is even a featured ad of the day.

Monday's featured promo had Republican congressman Roy Blount of Missouri extolling his work to help disabled veterans. In recent days, the Post site has featured a range of such commercials, including one of the few non-negative ads -- a wildly cinematic one with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson dressed up as a cowboy on an Old West ride through the state boasting about his efforts to reduce crime, bust methamphetamine labs, and even increase local film productions.

That contrasts with another Post featured ad that attacks Virginia Sen. George Allen and accuses him of failing to support funding for body armor for military in Iraq. Paid for by vetvotes.org, the ad is narrated by an Iraq War veteran who fires an AK-47 at two body armor vests in the ad, one he claims dates back to Vietnam and was supplied to Iraq War troops, and the other a more protective model. After showing how the modern version deflected the bullets and the older one didn't, he says, "Sen. George Allen voted against giving our troops this, now it's time for us to vote against him."

Other Post ads range from Republican Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana, seeking re-election, bragging about his vote against amnesty for illegal immigrants to Texas' Kinky Friedman, a gubernatorial candidate, quoting the Bible and walking with his dog as he promotes himself as the Lone Star State's "Good Shepherd."

"It gives readers raw material to see for themselves," Harris adds. "I think they still look for us for the interpretation side."

At The New York Times, a smaller group of political ad videos are available, mostly linked to a recent story by staffer Adam Nagourney on how Democrats are using President Bush's image, and Republicans are not. It appears that more ads will be inserted as the run-up to Election Day continues.

"Hopefully, it is an example of the Web enhancing the newspaper," said Nagourney. "It is a good way of using the Web."

One of the Times' ads is a controversial spot for James Webb, the Democratic challenger for the Senate in Virginia who once served as Secretary of the Navy and Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan. The ad includes a few seconds of Reagan praising Webb from an old clip. Opponent George Allen has attacked the ad, while the Reagan Presidential Library has asked that it be pulled.

The Los Angeles Times offers key spots on the gubernatorial race and the campaign for state attorney general. In one, for former governor, Jerry Brown, his opponent in the attorney general race, State Sen. Chuck Poochigian, is criticized as a police captain thrusts a 50-caliber bullet into viewers' faces to remind them that Poochigian did not vote for a ban on the killer shots.