After Disastrous Debate, Event Changes Format
After the first Trump-Biden presidential debate, organizers have said that they will make format changes for upcoming events.
Opinions on the recent debate vary. However, many viewers would agree that the interruptions and petty commentary significantly reduced any enjoyment one might have gotten from the event. After the debate, moderator Chris Wallace told the New York Times that he “never dreamt that [the debate] would go off the tracks the way it did.”
Despite agreeing to the rules of the debate outlined by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), both candidates ended up talking over each other and the moderator so much that nobody was able to get a word in edgewise.
“There was very little discussion of policy and way too many attacks on personal character,” says Jeanine Sheets, who watched the debate from her home in Seattle. “It was honestly hard to watch.”
Because of this entirely unproductive debate, the CPD has come out with the following statement: “The Commission on Presidential Debates sponsors televised debates for the benefit of the American electorate. Last night’s debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues. The CPD will be carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures shortly. The Commission is grateful to Chris Wallace for the professionalism and skill he brought to last night’s debate and intends to ensure that additional tools to maintain order are in place for the remaining debates.”
Many people agree that the moderator of the next debate needs to have the ability to mute a participant’s microphone so that each candidate’s allotted time to speak is truly uninterrupted. The former vice president has expressed his approval of this idea, however, the president seems to think that the entire thing was rigged against him, tweeting, “Two on one was not surprising, but fun.”
Wallace seems to echo the opinion of many Americans regarding the debate. “I’m just disappointed with the results,” he said. “For me, but much more importantly, I’m disappointed for the country, because it could have been a much more useful evening than it turned out to be.”
Amaya Brooks is a senior this year at Boulder High and a new addition to The Owl’s staff. She recently took an interest in journalism and hopes to explore the world of reporting more deeply this year. She looks forward to the new opportunities, skills and ideas that working as a staff writer on The Owl will give her and is excited to watch how the publication will adapt to the new world of masks and social distancing. Although a very opinionated person, she has no strong preference for green or purple grapes. Her only condition in regards to the fruit is that they aren’t mushy. Beyond that, she can often be found writing in her journal, attempting a new skill (this summer it was skateboarding),...
