Mail ads showing legislators in “defund the police” shirts that they didn’t wear.
A digital ad depicting a legislative candidate in front of a police lineup wall, even though he wasn’t arrested.
A television ad featuring a hologram meant to mimic a congressional candidate, using a fake voice to speak his actual words.
They’re all examples of a trend in North Carolina political advertising, which one candidate referred to as “fabricating reality.”
Political advertisers have long been known for spreading falsehoods about their opponents. For decades, attackers have published misleading claims about candidates and circulated unflattering photos of them. It’s common for operatives to manipulate photos in small ways, often by exaggerating candidates’ wrinkles or darkening the bags under their eyes.
But this election season, some North Carolina candidates are crying foul about ads that present voters with a false but convincing portrayal of reality.
“I'm used to them being dishonest with cutting my face out (of photos) and doing that sort of stuff,” said state Rep. Terence Everitt, one of the Democratic targets of the “defund the police” mailer. “But this was another level of dishonesty.”
Brian Echevarria, a Republican legislative candidate whose image appeared in front of the police lineup wall, said the ad made him feel terrible. “My first thoughts were, ‘What about my children, my wife and my parents?’ and how embarrassing and hurtful this would be for them.”
North Carolina...
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