Letter: Money and political ads

Here is one quote from an article I read recently. "Regardless of which party is raising the most funds, Reform for Illinois says when it comes to money, ordinary voters have a very small role in influencing races, even one for state representative."

That statement appeared in an article on Channel 7's website Oct. 19

I get it: Running for office is expensive and candidates need "deep pockets" from some supporters. Money and those who donate are two fundamental tools needed in order to elect candidates.

But who are the "winners" in Illinois when it comes to money and elections? Sometimes I wonder if the electronic media are one of those "winners," especially television and social media that are serving large population regions such as the metro Chicago region. I say this even though I also realize that running these media outlets today is also terribly expensive.

I wonder if TV and social media could be of help in lowering the volume of these negative ads. Aren't they, as much as possible, responsible for delivering balanced content? We all assume that "negative" ads "work," whatever that means. But what would happen if these media outlets did some fact-checking before they accepted the ads and refused to take ads that reflect misinformation or disinformation.

It seems that the current rash of television and social media political ads are some of the most negative ads I have watched. I still vote, but I do wonder if the running of these ads is also one of those threats to our state's (and nation's) democracy.

William A. Decker

Des Plaines