After the first presidential debate — even during it — the media and the public piled on moderator Jim Lehrerfor being passive and letting the candidates talk over him. Mock Twitter accounts popped up, including @SilentJimLehrer.
Then at last week’s vice presidential debate, ABC’s Martha Raddatz took the opposite approach, interrupting repeatedly, pursuing answers. Once again, pundits pounced, some calling her partisan, while others praised her.
Comments
The choice of tonight's moderator Candy Crowley is a very serious error in judgement.
Candy Crowley is the author of an ugly attack on the Romney - Ryan ticket.
Who is responsible for choosing Moderators? Crowley is not an acceptable candidate for the job.
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If Crowley is the 'hostile moderator' you claim she is, then she is actually the perfect choice for moderator for the Romney camp. If he performs poorly he can blame it on a 'hostile moderator'. If he outperforms Obama despite having a 'hostile moderator' he can crow that he is all the more qualified.
Gwen Ifill moderating at the same time she was working on the book "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama". Unbelievably inappropriate.
You are absolutely right.
Also, Gwen Ifill should not have been moderating the panel discussions during the 2012 Republican & Democrat Conventions.
PBS should give Gwen Ifill the choice of her job at PBS - OR - retire Gwen Ifill to allow her fulfill her goal of being a Democratic spokeperson & not just a toadie. Gwen Ifill has no journalistic integrity and all credibility as a spokeperson with PBS. She provides strong support to the rationale for cutting PBS public funding.
However, Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile would blow Gwen Ifill off the stage, and she is not trying to give the pretense of being politically neutral.
Wonder if the globe.com comments censor will let this through even though a comment on this very article was disappeared this morning. There are lots of comments by contemporary journalists about the debate of Oct. 16 being a 'town hall forum'. There are also comments coming at the last minute that Candy Crowley should be more than a timer, and should do a Raddatz deux performance, with followup and interpretive questions of her own. Haven't seen any of these Crowley supporting reporters suggest that the Lawng Eyelanders who have been selected for reasons known only to the Flushing Flushers be told to follow up on any initial question that does not satisfy their curiosity. No, say these journalsits, leave it to Crowley, the CNN political honcho. Don't recall Lehrer being in a role where he did much of a follow upduring the first presidential debate. There are a number of things questionable about this debate of Oct. 16, not the least of which is using citizen questioners who seem to hail from pretty much the same geographical area, then there is the last minute urging by mostly female journalists, including the moderator herself, that a journalist jump into the debate with nary more than a condesentive glance at an unsatisfied laymen (or laywoman). Something smells more and more about the journalistic coverage of this presidential campaign.
Crowley, the CNN political honcho showed she has a very poor memory, and needs to retire.
She proved she has no journalistic integrity and made a fool of herself, along with her over the top support of Obama. For god's sake she even lied for him in front of the cameras.
I say put them in the ring and give them 15 rounds. Mitt can wear a helmet to protect his impeccable
hair cut. Barack doesn't need one. Then let them duke it out. That's only fair. I agree with Jesse Ventura and others
that no matter who gets in, it will be the same ol,d same old. Do you think that our government is really in charge or even the President on major issues? The damn pipeline will get built and the oil it gets, you won't. It will be exported
elewhere, same as the present Alaskan pipeline. That was built, supposedly, to deal with the alleged oil shortage at the time. Japan gets the oil, I think. We don't. Just one example.
I don't agree with you stephanosky.
The only way things will remain the same is you and others, 1) simply vote for Obama.
NOTHING will change with Obama-Biden: That much we know.
Candy Crowley was down right pathetic. There is absolutely no excuse for anyone choosing her to moderate a presidential election. SHe makes people cringe when she is on the air and watching her make a spectacle of last night's debate was worst than someone scrapping their nails on a chalkboard.