Jamieson warns of deceptive ads

Democratic presidential hopeful Gov. Bill Clinton's face instantaneously becomes skeletal and pale. A calm political march is depicted as a violent protest. It may not haved happened in real life, but it is currently being televised across the nation. Annenberg School Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson told the standing-room-only crowd that voters have to better understand political advertising, which she said can often be deceptive. Jamieson, the author of Dirty Politics, frequently used video tapes from the current presidential race to demonstrate advertising ploys. The speech was sponsored by Connaissance. "The question is, how do we get as much substance out of this race as we can," Jamieson said. After detailing some of the key tactics used by political campaign advertisers to catch viewers off-guard, Jamieson showed the audience a current Republican campaign advertisment three times. The ad, which attacked Clinton's position on gay rights, encouraged voters to re-elect President Bush based on his stance in the current "family values" debate. Jamieson analyzed and discussed several different aspects of the ad's subtleties. For instance, the ad which included footage of protesters was humorously and ironically calmed when the students, led by Jamieson, hummed Blue Danube to change the musical tone. Jamieson discussed briefly the recent "extended anti-Quayle advertisement on the Murphy Brown" as well as Ross Perot's independent bid for the presidency. Jamieson said Perot is presently "consuming news reports," but is doing poorly in the polls. "[He] will not have much effect [on the election]," Jamieson said. "He's lived in a world in which everyone treats him with deference." Jamieson's humorous presentation was enthusiastically received by the crowd which consisted largely of students who said they were Jamieson fans. "We are extraordinarily lucky to have someone so articulate and knowledgeable especially at this point in the election," said Wharton MBA candidate Matthew Sigman. "We are so used to academics focused on things outside the real world." College senior Caren Lissner, the Connaissance coordinator for the faculty speaker series, said exposing students to the wit and wisdom of a variety of teachers at the University is important. "It was excellent," said Lissner, who is also a columnist for The Daily Pennsylvanian. "Anyone who has taken one of her courses knows what a great speaker she is."