Fact-checking Senate campaign ads just got easier

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Fact-checking Senate campaign ads just got easier. Duke Today, Sept. 29, 2016. If you live in one of the battleground states in this year’s races for U.S. Senate, you have probably been inundated with political ads, many of which talk about a candidate’s willingness to toe the party line or vote across the aisle. Now, analyzing such claims for accuracy is about to get easier, thanks to a new website that lets visitors fact-check claims about congressional voting records against the data behind them.

‘Caveman instincts’ may favor deep-voiced politicians

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‘Caveman instincts’ may favor deep-voiced politicians. Duke Today, August 7, 2015. When politicians debate an opponent, it’s not just what they say that matters — it’s also how they say it. A new study by researchers at the University of Miami and Duke shows that voters naturally prefer candidates with deeper voices, which they associate with strength and competence more than age. The researchers say our love lower-pitched voices may harken back to “caveman instincts” associating leadership with physical prowess more than wisdom and experience. Picked up by Newsweek, Popular Science, Science MagazineU.S. News & World Report, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Scientific American, the Herald-SunDiscovery News, CBS and The Independent.