INDIANAPOLIS — A new ad for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Braun is shining a light on digitally altered videos and photos. His opponent, Democrat Jennifer McCormick, says a photo of her in his ad was changed.
The Braun ad shows a photo of McCormick standing at a campaign rally with people behind her holding signs that read, "No gas stoves." The original photo taken by the South Bend Tribune shows the signs were actually for her campaign.
"This is a concern a lot of us have been talking about for a really long time, and now it's coming into fruition," IU professor Isak Nti Asare said.
Asare said campaign ads have been altered for decades, but we are seeing more now with improvements in technology.
The altered photo has a disclaimer at the bottom, but the Braun advertisement did not originally disclose that.
The Capital Chronicle reported the ad was first was first released to TV stations without the legally required disclaimer, a requirement just signed into law this year.
"This is exactly why we wrote the bill," Rep. Kyle Miller (D-District 82) said. "You couldn't ask for a better example of why we need this."
Miller said the law requires all campaign ads with altered media include a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen. If a candidate does not disclose that an ad was altered, their opponent can sue them.
IU professor Nicholas Browning told 13News while a disclaimer like this is important, voters may not even see it.
"Acknowledging that is a good thing, but the reality is most people aren't going to read or even see the fine print on these television advertisements," Browning said.
Miller said voters now have to keep a closer eye on upcoming ads.
"Any image, video, audio, picture should be taken with skepticism by voters, and they should go back and do their own research," Miller said.
“Braun’s team is so desperate to distract voters that they’ve stooped to using heavily doctored images. Disclaimer or not, it’s just dishonest,” McCormick campaign manager Kelly Wittman said in a statement. “Indiana has a law in place for a reason – Hoosiers deserve the truth, not deep fakes and dishonesty.”
13News reached out to Braun's team for comment but did not hear back.
Miller said the new, reissued ad with the disclaimer follows the law.