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Task 5: MediaELECTIONSDebate and Sunday Morning SpinPart I: Debate PreparationThis is the last chance for Americans to hear what they need to make a decision on Election Day! You have been following the candidates the entire campaign. You’ve tracked what they’ve said and identified where they are weak. Now it’s your job to make sure you find answers for the American people and give the candidates one last chance to set out their plan for the country. Cut through the campaign ads and politics to give Americans the clearest possible picture of the choice they have in this campaign. Your purpose is to differentiate between the candidates on the issues of FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC POLICY. This is a 40-minute debate; 20 minutes will be devoted to foreign policy and 20 minutes to domestic policy.Step One: FormatBe thinking about what you liked and didn’t like about the primary debate format. Round up the media teams and decide how you will run the debate! On the day of the debate, it will be your job to set up and be ready to go. Write up your rules and decide who is in charge of making sure everything is set up to go on debate day! Here are a few questions you need to settle:Will candidates be standing or seated?Will candidates have podiums or handheld mics?How much time will you allow for opening or closing statements? Will you allow (planted by you) questioning from the audience?Will you allow all candidates to answer all questions?Will you allow candidates to respond directly to each other?Will you allow candidates to not answer questions? Or will you follow up until you get an answer?How will you make sure that each candidate gets a chance to participate in answering questions?How are you going to keep time? What materials will you need? How will the class be arranged?Step Two: InformationAs a large gathering of all media outlets, you need to decide how much information candidates will be given prior to the debate. Will you release the questions? Will you release the general topics? Will you force candidates to go blind into the debate?Step Three: Media Outlet ResponsibilitiesWrite your questions. The debate will be 40 minutes long.Each media outlet should prepare six questions total (three for foreign and three for domestic policy). They should be typed and turned in at the end of the debate. See questioning strategies on the reverse side.Plan to have these questions done a day in advance so I can help you check and clarify them! For examples of debate questions and to compare how different moderating styles lead to different kinds of debates, watch examples from this cycle here: 3 with Jim Leher vs. October 11 with Martha RaddatPart II: Debate ExecutionHold the debate. It is your responsibility to set up and execute this debate on your own. You need to manage time and make sure the candidates state their positions on domestic and foreign policy issues.Take notes on the debate for use preparing for the Sunday Morning Spin. Part III: Sunday Morning SpinThe media regularly meet to discuss the issues of the day during Sunday morning political shows on the networks. They have pundits, reporters, and operatives from around the political world to discuss and debate who is winning and who is losing. You’ll spend 30 minutes discussing this show with one representative from each outlet, campaign press officers from both teams, and party spokespeople. You will need to prepare five discussion starters that all participants will want to weigh in on. For two of those starters, you should write up your own perspective on the question. These should be typed and submitted after the panel discussion.Cut through the talking points and help voters really decide who the best person will be to lead the country! Consider the following questions in preparing for the Sunday Morning Spin:Are you outright fighting for a particular candidate?Are you more worried about reporting facts than taking sides?Questioning StrategiesQuestions determine the quality of the debate. You want to ask questions that make a difference!Ask questions that are more specific than general. A generic question will lead to a generic answer, and the public won’t really learn the difference between the candidates. For each question, ask yourself: What will you gain from the answer? What do you want to hear them say? If you aren’t sure what you want to hear from that question, you need to change your question.Questions should be an invitation for the candidate to explain. That means they should say “how” or “why” in their answer.What You Don’t WantMulti-barreled question: This type asks more than one question about the same topic, but each question may ask something slightly different. “Why do you think Americans and your constituents prefer our two-party system over a legislature with multiple parties as in many other nations around the world?” Leading question: This type leads the person answering to agree with the person asking the question or think a certain way about the issue. It may include phrases such as “Don’t you agree . . .” or “Isn’t it true that . . .” “Do you agree that our liberties are being lost due to a predilection for secrecy, excessive police power, and withholding information to avoid embarrassment or exposure of malfeasance or incompetence?” Closed question: This type only allows for a “Yes” or “No” answer and does not provoke elaboration. Closed questions are not helpful in encouraging someone to provide a thorough answer. “Do you think a border fence is the answer to our immigration problems?”What You Do WantDirect and open question: This type addresses a specific issue and gets to the core of what you want to know. Being open means inviting the addressee to elaborate and expand. “What do you think of the Patent Reform Act of 2007, and why is it not moving through Congress?” Here are some phrases that will be helpful in writing direct and open questions. Make a statement to preface the question, then ask, “Would you . . .”“You have stated . . . Would . . . If so, . . . If not, . . . ?”“How . . .”Make a statement to preface the question. “What strategies . . .”Make a statement to preface the question. “Should . . .”Some ExamplesCongress requires that every president submit a new National Security Strategy of the United States. That’s the document that, in its current form, contains the Bush Doctrine that Gov. Sarah Palin and Charlie Gibson discussed a few weeks ago. When you are president, what part of that strategy, if any, are you most eager to rewrite? China shot down a failing weather satellite in 2007 and then urged the United States to negotiate a treaty to ban weapons in space. President Bush declined. Would you open those negotiations? To get at the candidates' economic philosophies, ask questions like "How can the free market be used to create jobs?" or "How do you propose the federal government and states reduce budget deficits?" or "What strategies will ensure that American workers are prepared to compete in a global economy?" ................
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