Presidential

Debate

s

Caitlin Corrigan

{ }WHAT

Isit?

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE{ } Is an American tradition in

which presidential candidates debate.

DEBATE

{ {A formal discussion on a particular topic in which there are opposing arguments.

Debates are not constitutionally mandated but they have become a U.S. Tradition beginning in 1960 with the first televised debate between

John F. Kennedy & Richard Nixon. The first debate had 66 million viewers, at the time the countries population was a mere 179 million.{

}IN FACT

Debates are aimed to sway undecided voters, those that don’t associate themselves with one particular party.

TOPICS{ }Of Debate

Topical

THE ECONOMY{ }

GLOBAL WARMING{ }

HEALTHCARE{ }

MILITA

RY

{}

WH0UsesIt?{ }

{ }CURRENTLY

Barack Obama & Mit Romney, the presumptive Republican candidate, will begin the presidential debates this October.

{ }http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/clip/1402846

SO???WHAT{ }

{ }

Presidential debates effect every oneTRUTH IS

{ }&We debate everyday

DEBATE, under the discipline of RHETORIC, was one of theFIRST concepts examined in the study of communications

{ }If you study communications then you study debateSO

{ }&Presidential debates are a microcosm of debate and the tradition rhetoric

CRITICISM{ }

Since its origins the study of debate has been argued. in its beginnings rhetoric was questioned heavily as an art. It soon became clear that two view points stood out.

PLATO VS. ARISTOTLE

{ }

{ }PLATOViewed rhetoric as a mediumto d

istort th

e tru

th.

He thought of rhetoric as a means to convince others through language tricks.

{ } ARISTOTLE

In contrast, while building on Plato’s theory, viewed rhetoric as a means to seek the truth. He thought that truth can be achieved by arguing both sides and persuasion establishes probability

{ }Much like PLATO…

Worry that debates will fall prey tocorruption and willno longer fulfill its purpose, to inform the public about the candidates view points and ensure they cast an educated vote

Modern day critics of presidential debate

WHATELSE?{ }

It is important to be able to recognize media bias{ its role

in p

resid

entia

l debate

covera

ge

}

&

In a 2004 study researchers found that in the 24 hours after a presidential debate most news stations skewed the footage or analyzed the debate in away that favored one candidate or cast a negative light on one candidate.

Bias coverage of presidential debates minimize its effectiveness and dilute the information presented by the candidates

CITED SOURCES

• http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Ready-for-the-Debate.htm

• http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Debating-Calamities.htm

• http://speckled-axe.com/the-morning-after-in-america/

• http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/10/sarah_palin_vs_joe_biden_the_v.html

• http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Memorable-Debate-Lines.htm

• http://www.markabrahamphotography.com

• http://madmikesamerica.com/• http://web.archive.org/web/

20090129115454/http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/thumbnail431.html

• http://masterfile.com• http://www.stevenpuetzer.com/

{ }• http://www.fox.com/house/• http://www.sonofthesouth.net• http://www.thesimpsons.com/• http://

www.caglecartoons.com/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/

20896824@N07/• http://moretimeforyou.com• https://www.dreamstime.com• http://ethanluck.com• http://www.roma2000.it/

zmunaro.html• http://en.museicapitolini.org/• http://www.louvre.fr/en• http://jacksonville.com/• http://www.martin-

missfeldt.com/art-pictures/picturebook-culture/book-cover-detail-1.php

• http://doylepartners.com/• http://www.claybennett.com/• http://www.veilleurs.info• http://www.foxnews.com

Photos in order of which they appear

• http://voices.yahoo.com/comparing-plato-aristotles-views-rhetoric-5788576.html?cat=4

• http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/Media-Bias-Is-Real-Finds-UCLA-6664.aspx

Websites Used

Articles Used• Fridkin, K. L., Kenney, P. J., Gershon,

S., & Woodall, G. (2008). Spinning Debates: The Impact of the News Media's Coverage of the Final 2004 Presidential Debate. International Journal Of Press

Politics,13(1), 29-51.doi10.1177/1940161207312677