This article presents a content analysis of 93 televised adwatches that app
eared on ABC, NBC, and CBS network evening news programs during either the
1996 presidential primary (n=40) or general election campaign (n=53). Since
the media's role in a democracy often is highlighted by its responsibility
to provide citizens with information needed to make informed and rational
decisions, this article analyzes political adwatches in regard to the socia
l responsibility theory of the press. Findings indicate that CBS Evening Ne
ws journalists did a better job at incorporating adwatch recommendations su
ggested by academicians to improve voter understanding about potentially mi
sleading advertising content. However, content analysis of 298 primary and
general election presidential candidate ads revealed that television journa
lists did not identify or discuss ethically suspect technological manipulat
ions present in a large percentage of the 1996 spots.