The view from inside
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | 09:17 AM ET
CBC Radio's David Cochrane writes on Tuesday night's leaders' debate:
People who watched last night's leaders debate on television tell me it was a frustrating spectacle. With the format allowing for head-to-head confrontations, there were often two people speaking at the same time. Each leader ignored the other and barrlled ahead as if they were wearing earplugs. Nobody watching at home could really make out what was being said.
It wasn't much better inside the debate studio. From the questioner's table, I could barely hear what was being said - especially when Danny Williams and Gerry Reid were debating. It's clear in person - and on TV - that the Liberal and Tory leaders don't like each other very much. The debate structure only helped foster that antipathy.
My personal preference would be for a true debate. Each candidate would get limited, uninterrupted time for argument and rebuttal. There would be very little of the head-to-head confrontation. That may add some conflict and heat to the debate, but it does nothing to promote a better understanding of issues or party policy. It becomes a painfully cluttered shout-fest where nobody can hear what is being said.
I didn't envy Fred Hutton's job as moderator. If he jumped in every time two people were bickering the debate would be reduced to 60 minutes of interjections. There is only so much any moderator can do. To make this a proper debate, we need a new format.
On a personal note, this was the first time I've participated in the election debate. And it was a thrill to be part of the journalist panel with NTV's Michael Connors. Michael and I started our journalism careers together at MUN's student newspaper The Muse. From 1995-1997 Michael was editor-in-chief while I was either news editor or co-news editor. It was a great partnership. And it was pretty cool to work together on the leaders' debate 10 years after I graduated from Memorial.
It's now the morning after the debate. As I type this into my Blackberry, I'm on a plane to St. Anthony. I'm with the Liberal campaign this week. My CBC Radio colleague Mike Rossiter is with the Tories. We like to switch a couple of times during the campaign to escape the Big Blue and Big Red Bubbles. It gives you a better perspective of how the campaigns operate and how the leaders are being received.
Comments
Dave Sorensen
St. John's
Hi David,
The debate format you suggest is well known to longtime political observers but fell out of favour when politicians took to ignoring the questions and talking about what they wanted to talk about. This doesn't work. I think a few tweaks on the current format and, sorry to disagree with you, forceful moderating, would lead to some heat and some revelations about policy.
Posted September 26, 2007 01:53 PM
Laura M Rowsell
Rodickton
The moderator was the problem with the debate...not the format. He did not try to exercise any control apart from an interjection at one of the debates weaker points. It did not matter how many times interjections were necessary, it should have been done to maintain civility. Mr. Reid was totally enraged from "get go"... surprisingly, he got through the hour without collapsing. Surely, we didn't expect Mr. Williams to stand there and do nothing. He had to keep responding or be severly critized for not doing so. Thank God, he was his cool, classy self and was able to insert self-discipline and kept it from blowing up into a total disaster. In the future, hopefully, much thought will be given to the question of procuring the best possible moderator.
Posted September 26, 2007 11:54 PM
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