New video shows rich resources available at Political TV Ad Archive

Since our launch on January 22, the Political TV Ad Archive has archived more than 1,080 ads with more than 155,000 airings. We’ve trained hundreds of journalists, students, and other interested members of the public with face-to-face trainings. But much as we would like to, we can’t talk to each of you individually. That’s why we created this video.

Watch the video for an overview of the project, the wealth of information it provides, and how fact checkers and journalists have been using it to enrich their reporting. It is a great introduction for educators to use with students, for civic groups to engage their membership in the political process, and for reporters who want to get the basics on how to use the site.

And remember: we want to hear from you about how you are using the Political TV Ad Archive. Please drop us an email at politicalad@archive.org or tweet us @PolitAdArchive. Over the week ahead, we’ll be highlighting examples of how educators have used the project in their classrooms. We’d love to feature examples of how other members of the public are using this collection to enhance deeper understanding of the 2016 elections.

Going forward, we are tracking ads in the New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, DC markets. These markets will provide a window on political ads appearing in several upcoming primary states: California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. 

Enjoy!