Professor Marty Kaplan published an op-ed article for the Huffington Post on Nov. 28 titled: "Warning: Political Ads Make You Stupid." Kaplan discussed the lack of consumer warnings on political advertisements. In a perfect world, Kaplan said, political ads would be accompanied by this disclaimer: "The scary music, PhotoShopped pictures and misleading sound bites in this ad are tricks intended to manipulate you in ways of which you are not consciously aware. Voting for this candidate is unlikely to improve how awful things are; hope can heartbreak." Kaplan's article proposes 5 components that can help citizens counteract the effects of these advertisements. 1. Education: Teaching students "the history and methods of propaganda." 2. Freedom of speech: "If ads lie, they can be countered by other ads that correct them." 3. Transparency: "The sources of funding for ads to elect or defeat candidates are required to be disclosed." 4. Freedom of the press: "Fact checks, ad watches, financial disclosure sites, 'keeping them honest' segments: The sunlight of journalism acts a disinfectant." 5. Social media: "You don't need a paycheck from a news organization to investigate claims and report abuses." "Political ads may not get Surgeon General-style warnings," Kaplan wrote. "But maybe a public that can so suddenly see itself as the 99 percent can also flush some of the three billion dollars worth of political ads coming at them into the sewer." Read the full article here