Talent for Deception

In four separate TV spots Republican Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri falsely attributes several unflattering quotes about his opponent to the Kansas City Star. Our examination reveals that the quotes actually come from rival Claire McCaskill's political opponents and critics, not from the Star's reporters or editors.

In another case, where a Talent ad uses a phrase that actually did come from a newspaper, it is out of context and misleading. The negative remark was in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial that was endorsing McCaskill for election.

Political campaigns often quote newspaper stories and editorials because voters tend to give them greater weight than the self-interested statements of office seekers. There's nothing misleading about that if the quotes are accurate, in context and properly attributed. But these Talent ads deceive voters by misappropriating the newspapers' credibility.