How can you tell who paid for a campaign message?

• A. By the color of the page.
• B. By the font size.
• C. By the number of sources cited.
• D. By a 'Paid for by' sponsor line.

Answer: (D)

Disclosures reveal who paid for a campaign message. The most direct way to know who financed it is to look for a sponsor line that says “Paid for by” followed by the sponsor’s name. That label is there specifically to identify the source of funding, often due to legal requirements for advertising transparency, so it’s the clearest signal about who paid for the message. The other cues—the color of the page, the font size, or the number of sources cited—don’t tell you anything about who financed the message; they’re about appearance or content, not funding. If you don’t see a sponsor line, treat the message with extra care and consider seeking additional disclosures or platform labeling.