Potential voters this election season have been bombarded with campaign ads through their television, radio and on the internet, leaving many wondering what, if anything, is actually true.

One ad by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett takes it too far, according to Republican candidate Scott Walker, and he is taking legal action as a result.

Walker filed an official complaint Monday with the Brown County District Attorney alleging one of Barrett’s TV ads is an “outright forgery,” said Walker spokesperson Jill Bader.

The Barrett ad in question displays headlines from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel accusing Walker of mismanagement of funds. According to the Walker campaign, these headlines do not exist.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has publicly denied the accuracy of these headlines, going so far as to give the ads a “Pants on Fire” rating in their Truth-o-Meter column.

Although the Barrett campaign removed the ad from Youtube last Thursday, Phil Walzak, a spokesperson for Barrett, still defended the overall message of the ads.

“The Walker campaign is trying to divert attention from the truth in the ad,” Walzak said.

The issues raised and the assertions about Walker were factual, Walzak said, so the Walker campaign is complaining about the presentation, not its accuracy.

Bader said the potential inaccuracy of the ads points to questions about Barrett’s ability to lead Wisconsin as governor.

“We believe the future governor of Wisconsin should be a leader, not someone who makes stuff up, and that is what Barrett does,” Bader said.

Official complaints and potential investigations aside, some would argue the use of misleading campaign ads is not unique to either candidate.

Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said one campaign calling the ads of another misleading is “like the pot calling the kettle black,” with ads from both sides going negative early.

In the case of the gubernatorial campaign, both candidates have decided to take the low road, McCabe said.

Not only are the ads misleading, but they may be too short to tell the truth anyway. Attack ads lasting only 30 or 40 seconds usually only contain small grains of truth, said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin.

“It’s all about the degree of distortion,” Heck said. “In this particular instance, Barrett looks worse, but it could easily be Walker next week.”

As inaccurate as they may be, McCabe said, they are still being watched and the messages are being absorbed.

“All people learn from these ads is to become sinister and disgusted with the political process,” Heck said. “The ads are intended to demoralize the supporters of the other candidate.”

While many people claim they ignore the ads, political campaigns wouldn’t spend the money if the ads weren’t effective, McCabe said.

McCabe noted that spending on these negative ads by outside groups has increased five-fold nationally since the previous midterm election.

“The more money spent on a campaign, the more negative the ads,” Heck said.

This particular gubernatorial campaign is nearing $50 million, making it the most expensive election in Wisconsin history, and therefore the most negative, Heck added.