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The 2008 televised debates for president and vice president were ratings winners. Still, they garnered complaints about their structure, content and execution.
Dr. Ben Voth, asssistant professor of Communications and director of speech and debate programs at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, looks at problems with the debate and possible solutions for the future. He also comments on whether the debates continue to play an important role in the political process.
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Piece Description
The 2008 televised debates for president and vice president were ratings winners. Still, they garnered complaints about their structure, content and execution. Dr. Ben Voth, asssistant professor of Communications and director of speech and debate programs at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, looks at problems with the debate and possible solutions for the future. He also comments on whether the debates continue to play an important role in the political process.
Broadcast History
Aired October 30, 2008 during "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" on KERA 90.1 FM.
Transcript
The season of formal political debates has once again come to an end, providing a good opportunity to examine its function in American civics and as a global model. Debate is the lifeblood of democratic civics. The social capacity to challenge ideas and draw personal conclusions in relation to those challenges is vital to premises of American governance and much of the governance around the world. Understanding this robust value of debate, there remain fair criticisms of the current process-- particularly as they relate to the Presidential debate process. There were some abuses of general debate practice which could be remedied in the future.
The media continues to be a problematic feature in these debates. The essence of the problem may have been most clear when media moderator Tom Brokaw complained, "you're getting in the way of my script." At the end of the debate, Brokaw was...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
SUGGESTED INTRO: This year's presidential and vice presidential debates were highly rated events. But was it because of the specific candidates involved, or do political debates still play an important role in the election process? Some ideas from Dr. Ben Voth, director of SMU's speech and debate programs.
TAG: Dr. Ben Voth is an associate professor of Communication and Director of Speech and Debate programs at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.
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