ABSTRACT
Reliance on rationality and reason, especially the appeal to evidence, is a hallmark of argumentation (Rybacki & Rybacki, 2000). An informed public, applying basic skills of argumentation, is a basic necessity of a vibrant public sphere. The need to protect citizens from misinformation inspired journalists to begin fact checking controversial statements made by politicians. Thus, “ad watches are premised on the assumption that prospective voters will use information about misleading ads to discount their claims and turn away from candidates whose ads lack veracity” (Frantzich, 2002, p. 35). The question is: Does factchecking infl uence the public?
