It’s hard for me to tell how prominent a story like this is, but I’ve been reading a lot about ABC’s terrible conduct of the April 16th Democratic presidential debate. The questions were trivial and slanted, the candidates were shocked at their banality, and by the end of the show even the audience had turned against the moderators.
That saddened me, but the first glimmer of hope came from Jon Stewart’s hilarious response:
The first hour of last night’s debate was a 60 minute master class in questions that elevate out-of-context remarks and trivial, insipid miscues into subjects of natural discourse…which is my job! Stop doing my job! That’s what I’m here for! I’m the silly man!
What really saved it for me was the overwhelming response from journalists, who banded together to write an open letter blasting ABC’s debate tactics.
We, the undersigned, deplore the conduct of ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and Charles Gibson at the Democratic Presidential debate on April 16. The debate was a revolting descent into tabloid journalism and a gross disservice to Americans concerned about the great issues facing the nation and the world. This is not the first Democratic or Republican presidential debate to emphasize gotcha questions over real discussion. However, it is, so far, the worst.
I hope this encourages better debates in the future, or at the very least a move to debates sponsored by neutral parties interested in facts instead of media moguls looking for ratings.
