Travis N. Ridout
@tnridout.bsky.social
Thomas S. Foley Professor, Washington State University; co-director of Wesleyan Media Project; political advertising, news media, political communication
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...
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...
wsu.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:44 PM
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...
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
✨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?"
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?"
✨Out now: The Fall Issue (Nr. 30) of the Political Communication Report!✨
“What does PolComm Stand for? Normative Dimensions of Political Communication Research & Theorizing”
📖 Full issue: politicalcommunication.org/issue/fall-2...
A 🧵 on the essays featured in this issue:
“What does PolComm Stand for? Normative Dimensions of Political Communication Research & Theorizing”
📖 Full issue: politicalcommunication.org/issue/fall-2...
A 🧵 on the essays featured in this issue:
January 3, 2025 at 12:05 PM
✨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?"
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?"
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
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!
✨Out now: The Fall Issue (Nr. 30) of the Political Communication Report!✨
“What does PolComm Stand for? Normative Dimensions of Political Communication Research & Theorizing”
📖 Full issue: politicalcommunication.org/issue/fall-2...
A 🧵 on the essays featured in this issue:
“What does PolComm Stand for? Normative Dimensions of Political Communication Research & Theorizing”
📖 Full issue: politicalcommunication.org/issue/fall-2...
A 🧵 on the essays featured in this issue:
December 18, 2024 at 9:26 PM
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!
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
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-...
campaignlegal.org/update/meta-...
Meta Violated Washington State Disclosure Requirements, State Court Rules
campaignlegal.org
December 4, 2024 at 9:25 PM
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-...
campaignlegal.org/update/meta-...
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
Elon Musk spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Donald Trump win the presidency, federal filings revealed.
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.
www.nytimes.com
December 6, 2024 at 4:03 AM
Elon Musk spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Donald Trump win the presidency, federal filings revealed.
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
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...
www.electionanalysis.ws
November 15, 2024 at 8:42 PM
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
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
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...
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.
www.bellingcat.com
November 4, 2024 at 5:22 PM
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...
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
💥 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
Read the full report: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-102...
@efranklinfowler.bsky.social , @tnridout.bsky.social, and @mmfranz.bsky.social.
#2024election #politicalads
Harris TV Ads Plummet Before Rebounding - Wesleyan Media Project
mediaproject.wesleyan.edu
October 24, 2024 at 6:42 PM
💥 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
Read the full report: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-102...
@efranklinfowler.bsky.social , @tnridout.bsky.social, and @mmfranz.bsky.social.
#2024election #politicalads
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
💥 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
@mmfranz.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social @efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Presidential Advertising Issue Spotlight (7/22/24 – 10/15/24) - Wesleyan Media Project
mediaproject.wesleyan.edu
October 17, 2024 at 8:29 PM
💥 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
@mmfranz.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social @efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
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
Cc: @tnridout.bsky.social @mmfranz.bsky.social
💡 WMP Issue Spotlight: This is the third post in a series of issue mentions in federal races by state shows the percentage of ads mentioning eight key issues tracked by the WMP.
See the release for more details: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/issues-sept24/
See the release for more details: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/issues-sept24/
October 4, 2024 at 1:01 AM
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
Cc: @tnridout.bsky.social @mmfranz.bsky.social
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
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...
www.politico.com/news/2024/10...
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.
www.politico.com
October 2, 2024 at 7:16 PM
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...
www.politico.com/news/2024/10...
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
💥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
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
Pro-Trump TV Ads Plummet in Past Two Weeks as Harris Expands Ad Advantage Across Platforms - Wesleyan Media Project
mediaproject.wesleyan.edu
September 27, 2024 at 12:34 AM
💥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
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
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
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!
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!
September 26, 2024 at 7:06 PM
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!
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!
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
💥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
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
Presidential Campaign Turns to Economic Issues - Wesleyan Media Project
mediaproject.wesleyan.edu
September 12, 2024 at 6:26 PM
💥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
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
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
💥 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...
@tnridout.bsky.social @efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Read the full report: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-082...
Trump and Allies Launch Barrage of Negative Ads - Wesleyan Media Project
mediaproject.wesleyan.edu
August 29, 2024 at 8:34 PM
💥 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...
@tnridout.bsky.social @efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Read the full report: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-082...
I'll back up that!
I also want to give a huge shoutout to WMP program manager @breezefloyd.bsky.social for all of the work she puts in to get these out. So very grateful! (Cc @tnridout.bsky.social)
September 4, 2024 at 2:06 AM
I'll back up that!
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
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...
www.slowboring.com/p/whats-bett...
August 8, 2024 at 4:12 PM
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...
www.slowboring.com/p/whats-bett...
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
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...
doi.org/10.1177/0894...
Sage Journals: Your gateway to world-class research journals
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
doi.org
June 13, 2024 at 3:02 PM
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...
doi.org/10.1177/0894...
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
💥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
Read the full report here: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-052...
polisky polcom #commsky
Biden on TV in Key States, While Trump is Off-Air - Wesleyan Media Project
mediaproject.wesleyan.edu
May 23, 2024 at 6:25 PM
💥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
Read the full report here: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-052...
polisky polcom #commsky
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
💥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
@efranklinfowler.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social & Michael Franz
@opensecretsdc.bsky.social
Read the full report here: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-031...
#wesmediaproject #2024election
March 14, 2024 at 8:10 PM
💥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
@efranklinfowler.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social & Michael Franz
@opensecretsdc.bsky.social
Read the full report here: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-031...
#wesmediaproject #2024election
Reposted by Travis N. Ridout
2024 Political Ad Spending Will Jump Nearly 30% vs. 2020
www.insiderintelligence.com/press-releas...
www.insiderintelligence.com/press-releas...
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...
www.insiderintelligence.com
March 1, 2024 at 5:53 PM
2024 Political Ad Spending Will Jump Nearly 30% vs. 2020
www.insiderintelligence.com/press-releas...
www.insiderintelligence.com/press-releas...
It's not too hard to detect Biden's general election strategy in this ad.
March 10, 2024 at 12:22 AM
It's not too hard to detect Biden's general election strategy in this ad.