Campaign Fact Checking Apps - ABC5 News Des Moines, IA

Campaign Fact Checking Apps

by Phil Prazan

pprazan@myabc5.com

@PhilPrazan

Smart phones and social media have changed all aspects of life. This year they're playing a role in the election.

According to experts, one of the biggest things that makes this election different from years past is that both sides are trying out new ways to get their message out and at the same time refuting the other's message.

Every battleground state is being bombarded with political and attack ads. But how do you know what's true and what isn't? We checked out a few mobile phone applications that allow you to see the story behind the ad.

One of those apps, called Super Pac App, records the TV commercial and then shows you who paid for it and what else that person or group supports.

Drake Professor Arthur Sanders says this is just the latest example of the campaign battle going into mobile devices.
 
"They're trying to shed light on what's behind it, what's going on.  It's very hard for citizens who don't pay a lot of attention to politics to know how to process which the ads take advantage of - on both sides, on all sides," says Prof. Sanders.

People we talked to had mixed opinions. Some thought this will help undecided voters make a decision. Others thought the apps will be lost on people who already have their minds made up.