Local broadcasters, by law, have to disclose the identities of those who buy political advertisements, as well as detailed information about the purchases. They print out the data and store it at their offices for the public to see, theoretically. But few members of the public ever get a chance to.

Contrary to much of the conventional understanding of how people learn about their communities, Americans turn to a wide range of platforms to get local news and information, and where they turn varies considerably depending on the subject matter and their age, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism and Internet & American Life Project, produced in association with the John S.

Google's' censorship of ads.