El-Sayed launches "Mike Rogers is watching you" ads and website over surveillance record
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has launched video, billboard and website attacks on Republican Mike Rogers over his record on the Patriot Act and government surveillance, in a race rated a toss-up.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has launched a final-stretch campaign against Republican Mike Rogers over his record on government surveillance, built around the tagline "Mike Rogers is watching you". WiredLC “In addition to the video, the El-Sayed campaign will run billboards with the tagline “Mike Rogers is watching you” in parts of Michigan” Read at Wired ↗ Washington ExaminerR “launched a website attacking Republican challenger Mike Rogers over his record on government surveillance and the Patriot Act” Read at Washington Examiner ↗ Mixed · 2Wired reports paid digital video and billboard ads, while the Washington Examiner describes a website, "MikeIsWatching.com", that opens with the slogan displayed in large letters over eerie music and directs visitors to El-Sayed's donation platform. WiredLC “The paid digital video and billboard ads mark a final-stretch effort ahead of the midterm elections” Read at Wired ↗ Washington ExaminerR “Visitors of the page are ultimately directed to el Sayed’s campaign donation platform.” Read at Washington Examiner ↗ Mixed · 2Both pieces say the material centres on a 2013 quote from Rogers, then chair of the House Intelligence Committee: "You can’t have your privacy violated if you don’t know your privacy is violated." WiredLC ““You can’t have your privacy violated if you don’t know your privacy is violated,” the ad repeatedly quotes Rogers as saying in 2013” Read at Wired ↗ Washington ExaminerR “Front and center on the website is a quote Rogers made during a 2013 House intelligence committee hearing” Read at Washington Examiner ↗
Left · 1The video uses clips of Rogers praising the Patriot Act of 2001, which allowed warrantless collection of Americans' telephone data after the September 11 attacks, and his remarks extolling surveillance by companies such as Google. WiredLC “The video from the El-Sayed campaign intersperses clips of Rogers praising the Patriot Act of 2001”“The video also includes Rogers’ remarks extolling surveillance by companies like Google.” Read at Wired ↗ Right · 1The website also cites Rogers's votes for the 2001 Patriot Act, a 2008 surveillance law and retroactive legal protections for telecommunications companies, and his votes against a 2013 measure to stop phone-records collection (which failed by 12 votes) and a 2014 proposal requiring court orders to search emails, texts and photos. Washington ExaminerR “Rogers also voted for the measure that provided retroactive legal protections to telecommunications companies”“The measure failed by 12 votes.”“Rogers voted against the measure, which passed the House but never became law.” Read at Washington Examiner ↗ Mixed · 2Both articles note a 2011 Rogers bill that would have let companies share communications data with the government; the Examiner says it passed the House in 2012 and, revised, in 2013 but stalled in the Senate. WiredLC “in 2011, when Rogers introduced a bill that would have allowed companies to share emails with the National Security Agency” Read at Wired ↗ Washington ExaminerR “neither became law after failing to clear the Senate.” Read at Washington Examiner ↗
Mixed · 2Wired adds that in 2014 Rogers introduced a bill to end "bulk collection of metadata" that never reached a vote, and the Examiner notes Rogers has since acknowledged the FBI "completely abused" surveillance powers; Rogers was never named a sponsor of the Patriot Act, though his former House office said he "helped author" it and its renewals. WiredLC “In 2014, however, Rogers introduced a bill that would have ended “bulk collection of metadata,” though it never made it to a vote.” Read at Wired ↗ Washington ExaminerR “Rogers has since acknowledged that the FBI “completely abused” surveillance powers”“although Rogers was never named as a sponsor of the bill” Read at Washington Examiner ↗ Left · 1Wired says the effort taps voter unease about surveillance, including over Flock cameras, and that a Rogers campaign spokesperson previously said he "vehemently opposes unchecked use of Flock cameras to track law-abiding citizens" and left Congress in 2017, before the technology was founded. WiredLC ““vehemently opposes unchecked use of Flock cameras to track law-abiding citizens”” Read at Wired ↗ Right · 1The Washington Examiner says Rogers's campaign did not immediately respond to its request for comment. Washington ExaminerR “Roger’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.” Read at Washington Examiner ↗
Mixed · 2The race is rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report and polling shows a tight contest, with less than 30 days to the general election; Wired adds that El-Sayed will rally with Barack Obama in late October and is expected to campaign with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. WiredLC “a Senate race rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report”“El-Sayed announced on Monday he will rally with former president Barack Obama in late October.” Read at Wired ↗ Washington ExaminerR “With the general election less than 30 days away” Read at Washington Examiner ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Campaign strategy story: El-Sayed is tying Rogers to voter anxieties about privacy, especially Flock cameras, in a toss-up race.
- Emphasis
- Political context: Cook rating, Senate majority math, Obama rally, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez tour, comparison to Sherrod Brown's strategy in Ohio.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not detail the specific votes on the website; mentions Rogers's 2014 bill and campaign response.
- Charged language
- “unrelenting effort”
- For example
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“But the new slate of ads underscores the El-Sayed campaign's unrelenting effort to draw a line from Rogers’ legislative record to current voter anxieties.” — Wired
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Describes the website and its claims about Rogers's record, with notes on where the facts are qualified.
- Emphasis
- Detailed list of Rogers's votes and statements on surveillance; fundraising link; the missing Rogers response.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention Flock cameras, billboards or video ads, Rogers's 2014 metadata bill, or the primary-related tensions.
- Charged language
- “eerie music”“fear mongering”
- For example
-
“opens with the words “Mike Rogers is watching you” displayed in large letters while eerie music plays in the background” — Washington Examiner
What every side reports
- El-Sayed's campaign launched a 'Mike Rogers is watching you' effort attacking Rogers's surveillance record.
- The material centres on Rogers's 2013 quote that you can't have your privacy violated if you don't know it is.
- Rogers backed the Patriot Act and introduced a 2011 data-sharing bill.
- The Michigan Senate race is close.
Where accounts differ
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Whether Rogers's surveillance record is fairly characterised
- Left
- Wired notes counterpoints to the attack, including Rogers's 2014 bill against bulk metadata collection and his campaign's stance against unchecked Flock camera use.
- Right
- The Washington Examiner sets out the website's claims vote by vote, adds that Rogers was never named Patriot Act sponsor, and notes his campaign had not responded.
Abdul El-Sayed person
His campaign is using ads, billboards and a website to portray Rogers as a long-time supporter of government surveillance.
“El-Sayed is leaning into one of the major technology-related complaints from voters this cycle” — Wired
“The page goes on to lay out a series of claims about Rogers’s congressional record.” — Washington Examiner
Mike Rogers person
His campaign says he opposes unchecked use of Flock cameras and left Congress before the technology existed; it had not responded to the Examiner on the website.
“noted he left Congress before the technology was founded in 2017” — Wired
“Roger’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment” — Washington Examiner
Left1 article
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WiredLC ·
‘Mike Rogers Is Watching You’: New Ad Blitz From Abdul El-Sayed Attacks Surveillance Support
Neutral Strategy-focused account of the ad blitz in the context of voter privacy concerns and the Senate map.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
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El Sayed creates ‘Mike Rogers is watching you’ website highlighting work on Patriot Act
Neutral Descriptive account of the website and a vote-by-vote rundown of Rogers's record, noting the campaign's lack of response.
- 6 Oct 18:39 First WiredLC ‘Mike Rogers Is Watching You’: New Ad Blitz From Abdul El-Sayed Attacks Surveillance Support
- 6 Oct 20:51 +2h 12m Washington ExaminerR El Sayed creates ‘Mike Rogers is watching you’ website highlighting work on Patriot Act
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.