e-Democracy expert Steven Clift sends along the press release that Yahoo!, Slate Magazine and the Huffington Post have teamed up to organize a series of online-only debates between presidential candidates. Steven corrects the press release, which claims that this will be the "first ever" online-only debate between presidential candidates, which actually occurred way back in 2000 at Web White & Blue. Still it sounds really exciting:
These first-of-their kind debates will be hosted on all three Web sites
and give voters the opportunity to ask questions directly to the
candidates, participate in the debate in real-time, and even determine
which candidate is giving the best performance. The debates, scheduled
to take place after Labor Day, will be hosted by PBS’ Charlie Rose…. There will be two online-only debates, one for Democrats and one for
Republicans, with invitations extended to candidates who have formally
announced their candidacies. These online debates will allow the
candidates to participate from whatever location they choose, brought
together live via the Internet, and will feature real-time questions
sent in by the online audience, as well as viewer questions uploaded on
video.
It will be interesting to see how "scripted" these events are, and whether or not there will be in-depth interchange between candidates as well as between the politicians and the public. For an example of how to do this right, check out the Minnesota gubernatorial e-debates organized by Steven Clift in 2006.
See the full announcement after the fold…
Yahoo!, The Huffington Post and Slate to Host First-Ever Online-Only Presidential Debates, Moderated By Charlie Rose
Debates Will Give Voters a Direct Role in the Debates; Planned for Both Democratic and Republican Candidates
SUNNYVALE,
Calif. & NEW YORK & WASHINGTON, Apr 23, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) —
Yahoo!, The Huffington Post and Slate announced today plans to host two
online-only presidential debates during the 2008 campaign. These
first-of-their kind debates will be hosted on all three Web sites and
give voters the opportunity to ask questions directly to the
candidates, participate in the debate in real-time, and even determine
which candidate is giving the best performance. The debates, scheduled
to take place after Labor Day, will be hosted by PBS’ Charlie Rose. The
Democratic debate will feature opening remarks by DNC chair Howard
Dean.
"We intend for these debates to be a groundbreaking mix
of old and new traditions in politics," said Charlie Rose. "2008 will
be a momentous year for the electoral process in America, thanks in
large part to technology and politics connecting like never before. I
am proud to host the first ever online only debate, which will reach
and engage the voting audience in a whole new way."
"With
presidential candidates announcing online and with campaign ads and
fundraising increasingly online, presidential campaigns are moving to
the Internet at breakneck speed. Online debates are the inevitable next
step," said Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The
Huffington Post. "We are thrilled to be joining with Internet pioneers
Yahoo! and Slate to host the first online presidential debates, and to
have Charlie Rose as our moderator. These debates represent a further
merging of new media technology and politics, and are a great
opportunity to bring more people into the political process, and engage
the new generation of young voters who spend so much of their time —
and get so much of their information — online."
There will be
two online-only debates, one for Democrats and one for Republicans,
with invitations extended to candidates who have formally announced
their candidacies. These online debates will allow the candidates to
participate from whatever location they choose, brought together live
via the Internet, and will feature real-time questions sent in by the
online audience, as well as viewer questions uploaded on video.
"The
2008 campaign is going to unfold on the Web in a way no previous
election ever has," said Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate. "We hope
these first online debates will be a breakthrough, both in terms of
technology and political communication. The candidates will be able to
have a real discussion in real time — but without having to be in the
same place. We think the Internet can bring the same kind of immediacy
to presidential debates that it has to other aspects of the political
process."
"We’re opening the doors of democracy for American
voters to participate in the Presidential debates like never before,"
said Scott Moore, head of news and information, Yahoo!. "Armchair
politics will take on new meaning this election season, as we’re
offering voters the opportunity to ask the candidates what’s on their
mind."
About Yahoo! Elections 2008
Yahoo! Elections
(http://elections.yahoo.com) is a destination for voters to connect
with the people, candidates and communities most important to them this
election season. The site is made up of key Yahoo! social media
properties, including Answers, Groups, Flickr, News, MyBlogLog, Yahoo!
Video and Upcoming.org. The site also features a comprehensive election
news offering, including breaking news, opinion and commentary, and
video reports from the nation’s leading news providers. Yahoo!
Elections is working with the campaigns for all officially announced
candidates on ways they can interact with voters on the Yahoo! Town
Hall platform, offering a valuable platform for reaching millions of
voters on a daily basis.
About The Huffington Post
The
Huffington Post has become, according to The New York Times, "a
well-known, oft-cited news media brand in the blink of an eye." The Web
site has over 3 million unique users and over 70 million page views.
Later this spring, the site will expand its original political
reporting. Also, in conjunction with newassignment.net, The Huffington
Post will be adding an entirely new dimension to coverage of the 2008
presidential campaign, deploying hundreds of volunteers to report and
blog on the race and add their unique perspectives on American
politics. The Huffington Post continues to provide breaking news and
opinion from more than 900 contributors from the worlds of politics,
entertainment and media.
About Slate
Slate Magazine is
an award-winning Web site that offers fresh angles on stories in the
news and innovative entertainment coverage. Slate won the 2006 and 2005
EPpy awards for Best Internet News Service (over 1 million monthly
visitors) and the 2005 EPpy award for Best Internet Entertainment
Service (over 1 million monthly visitors). Slate can be found on the
Web at www.slate.com and is owned by The Washington Post Company. Slate attracts over five million unique visitors each month.
> There will be two online-only debates, one for Democrats and one for Republicans, with invitations extended to candidates who have formally announced their candidacies.
So let me get this straight…3rd party and independent candidates need not apply? Does this strike you as democratic? Sounds like business as usual to me.
gary
http://www.ExpertVoter.org
It’s a fair point. Note that the Minnesota e-debates included all candidates from all parties, not just repub and dem.