Journalist Brooks Jackson to Examine Fact & Fiction in Presidential Campaign Advertising

Jersey City, NJ – Journalist Brooks Jackson, the Director of Annenberg Political Fact Check, will examine the fact and fiction behind the political ads from last week’s presidential election as part of the Guarini Center lecture series at Saint Peter’s College at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 11 th.“Mr. Jackson’s in-depth knowledge of political campaigning as a reporter and Director of Annenberg Political Fact Check enables him to look critically at the inaccuracies and exaggerations contained in ads on both sides,” said Dr. Kenneth Mitchell, Saint Peter’s College political science professor and chair of the lecture series. “His organization fills an important gap in the political process by increasing the public’s understanding of key issues and demonstrating how facts are sometimes distorted for partisan effect.”Jackson has covered Washington and the national political scene for more than 30 years for CNN, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press, among others. While at CNN, Jackson developed the “adwatch” and “factcheck” form of stories to debunk misleading claims as part of the 1992 Presidential election. He has authored two books: Honest Graft: Big Money and the American Political Process and Broken Promise: Why the Federal Election Commission Failed.In his address, Jackson will dissect ads from both sides of this year’s Presidential campaign into fact and faction. He will also discuss the potential impact these ads had on voters and what steps are necessary at the federal and state levels to minimize the impact of misleading advertising in elections.The Annenberg Political FactCheck (www.FactCheck.org) is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Philanthropist and publisher Walter Annenberg established the APPC in 1994 to create a community of scholars. The FactCheck project aims to act as a “consumer advocate” for voters. The non-partisan, non-profit organization’s mission is to reduce deception and confusion in politics by monitoring the factual accuracy of politicians in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.Established in 1994 by former New Jersey Congressman Frank Guarini, the Guarini Center aims to provide a non-partisan forum for discussion and analysis of key public policy issues and to encourage careers in public service among today’s students. Members of the general public are invited to attend the talk in the Pope Auditorium on the Saint Peter’s College Jersey City campus. The lecture begins at 11 a.m. and includes a question and answer session after Mr. Jackson’s general remarks.