Meet the Attack Lads – Willie Horton

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Instructions: Click on the images below to watch the ads and meet the attack lads. Red links will take you to an appendix with more information.

Willie Horton ad (1988): Connected Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis to murderer/rapist who escaped during a weekend prison furlough

created by
McCarthy Marcus Hennings

Home to Larry McCarthy, creator of Progress for America Voter Fund’s “Ashley’s Story,” which showed Bush hugging the daughter of a 9/11 victim

corporate clients:
Fox TV, The Washington Post Company

McCarthy Marcus Hennings also created the Windsurfing ad (2002)


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We were built for times like these

Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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