Travis N. Ridout

Associate Professor/Professor Online applications must be received before 11:59pm on: December 7, 2025 If a date is not listed above, review the Applicant Instructions below for more details. Available Title(s): 280-NN_FACULTY - A...

Washington State University is hiring at the associate or full level! We are seeking a professor of American Politics who will also serve as the Director of the Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service. More details: wsu.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WSU_Jo...

✨POLCOMM PUBLICATION FRIDAY✨
In case you missed it over the holoday break, be sure to check out the latest issue of the Political Communication Report, fpcused on...
"What Does PolComm Stand For?"

Political Communication Report has become some of our subfield's most essential reading, and this new issue is no exception. Many thanks to @curdknupfer.bsky.social for his work to revitalize this important forum, and to all the excellent contributors!

Meta Violated Washington State Disclosure Requirements, State Court Rules

VICTORY: In a win for transparency, a Washington state court rejected Meta's challenge to a key disclosure law that requires media entities, including social media companies, to track and disclose political advertising.
campaignlegal.org/update/meta-...

Elon Musk Spent Over $250 Million to Help Elect Trump The enormous spending from the world’s richest man quietly fueled allied groups and was revealed only now, as Mr. Musk plays a key role in the presidential transition.

Elon Musk spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Donald Trump win the presidency, federal filings revealed.

Advertising trends in the 2024 presidential race - Election Analysis - United States Prof. Travis N. Ridout Professor in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs at Washington State University. He does research on political communication, political campaigns and advertisi...

TV advertising in 2024 presidential race was close to dead even. Our quick take on political advertising in this year's campaign. With @efranklinfowler.bsky.social and @mikefranz.bsky.social

Tracking Harris and Trump’s Ad Spending on Facebook and Instagram Meta’s Ad Library is free to use, and provides useful insights into how politicians and their campaigns are advertising on social media platforms.

In this new guide by Pooja Chaudhuri and Melissa Zhu we outline how we used Meta’s free-to-use Ad Library to analyse data about political candidates’ ad spending to get a sense of how they approach digital advertising. www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

Harris TV Ads Plummet Before Rebounding - Wesleyan Media Project

💥 NEW report from WMP: Nearly $300 Million in Presidential Ad Spending Across Platforms Over Past Two Weeks.

Read the full report: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-102...

@efranklinfowler.bsky.social , @tnridout.bsky.social, and @mmfranz.bsky.social.

#2024election #politicalads

Presidential Advertising Issue Spotlight (7/22/24 – 10/15/24) - Wesleyan Media Project

💥 New tools for visualizing presidential advertising by geography! One that shows the breakdown of presidential ads by issue mentions on TV & one that shows FB & IG spending over time. ⬇️ mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/issues-oct24/

@mmfranz.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social @efranklinfowler.bsky.social

Clicking on the states also reveals the distribution of issue attention in each state. A huge thank you to @breezefloyd.bsky.social for producing these!!

Cc: @tnridout.bsky.social @mmfranz.bsky.social

Senate Republicans make sudden change in ad strategy amid cash crunch The NRSC is canceling its independent ad reservations and redirecting it to hybrid ads, made with the candidates.

The NRSC is shifting its ad buys from independent expenditures to hybrid ads. Why? The law requires candidates to be offered the "lowest unit rate" for TV and radio ads close to an election, while parties pay higher rates for independent expenditures.
www.politico.com/news/2024/10...

Pro-Trump TV Ads Plummet in Past Two Weeks as Harris Expands Ad Advantage Across Platforms - Wesleyan Media Project

💥NEW from WMP: Pro-Trump Ads Declining on TV; Harris outspends Trump 16:1 on Meta & 3:1 on Google.

Pro-Harris TV ads more common than pro-Trump in almost all media markets nationally.

mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-092...
@efranklinfowler.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social @mmfranz.bsky.social

Dear #polisky colleagues:

Do you have any promising undergraduate seniors interested in pursuing a Ph.D.? Please consider pointing them to Washington State University (@wsupppa.bsky.social) - we have excellent scholars focusing on political psychology, political comms, and democracy!

Presidential Campaign Turns to Economic Issues - Wesleyan Media Project

💥NEW from WMP: Dem, GOP TV ads are almost equal, but Harris is outspending Trump nearly 3:1 on Meta & Google.

Airings in pres race have shifted to focus on the economy.

Full report: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-091...

@mmfranz.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social @efranklinfowler.bsky.social

Trump and Allies Launch Barrage of Negative Ads - Wesleyan Media Project

💥 New WMP report: Trump & allies unleash barrage of attack ads. Harris is competitive on TV & w/DNC heavily outspending Trump on Meta & Google. #2024election polisky polcomm #commsky

@tnridout.bsky.social @efranklinfowler.bsky.social

Read the full report: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-082...

I'll back up that!

Pro-Harris advertising is much more effective than anti-Trump advertising. The best ads are normal Democratic issue ads:
www.slowboring.com/p/whats-bett...

SI @SSCRatSage #2: @tnridout.bsky.social, @efranklinfowler.bsky.social and others examine paid election advertisements placed on YouTube, Google search, Instagram, and Facebook during the US 2020 elections
doi.org/10.1177/0894...

💥New WMP Report: Biden airs $13m in broadcast ads since Super Tuesday.  Trump campaign has none. @tnridout.bsky.social @efranklinfowler.bsky.social & Michael Franz w/ @opensecretsdc.bsky.social

Read the full report here: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-052...

polisky polcom #commsky

💥New WMP Report: 📉Senate, House Advertising Spikes as Presidential Ads Wane

@efranklinfowler.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social & Michael Franz

@opensecretsdc.bsky.social

Read the full report here: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-031...

#wesmediaproject #2024election

2024 Political Ad Spending Will Jump Nearly 30% vs. 2020 <p>Total US political ad spending will surpass $12 billion in 2024 January 11, 2024 (New York, NY) – Total US political ad spending* will hit $12.32 billion in 2024, up nearly 29% from the prior presi...

2024 Political Ad Spending Will Jump Nearly 30% vs. 2020
www.insiderintelligence.com/press-releas...

It's not too hard to detect Biden's general election strategy in this ad.

Follow Joe!Joe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/joebidenJoe’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joebidenJoe’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joebidenJoe... For You | Biden-Harris 2024

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6e4...

Political Ads Can Target Your Personality. Here's What Could Go Wrong This banner year for elections worldwide may witness the arrival of advertising tailored to your personality

"Political Ads Can Target Your Personality. Here’s What Could Go Wrong. This banner year for elections worldwide may witness the arrival of advertising tailored to your personality" www.scientificamerican.com/article/poli...

Will ‘micro-influencers’ sway tight US election races? Political campaign groups spend millions on social media users with small followings to target messages better

As targeted political advertising on social media has become trickier US campaign groups are paying ‘micro-influencers’ to sway voters in specific communities
on.ft.com/42MBhUV

Making the Invisible Visible: Introducing PoliDashboard v2 – An App For Tracking Political Ads on Meta’s Advertising Platforms | Social Media Lab

If you're a journalist/ researcher interested in election transparency, add our PoliDashboard app to your workflow. It's a tool designed to make paid online political advertising on Meta’s platforms more transparent & resistant to both foreign+domestic manipulation. socialmedialab.ca/2024/01/23/m...