8 Ways to Level Up the Next Presidential Debates
Feb 22, 2016 • Kel Fabie
4. Get actual moderators.
Mike Enriquez was downright embarrassing in his “performance” as a host for this debate. If we wanted a well-moderated debate, we needed to get someone who wouldn’t turn the debate into a farce, which Mike Enriquez, with his poorly-timed jokes about being tight and loose, expertly pulled off.
3. Better visual aids to know who’s siding with what.
Via facebook.com
We need to know the stands on specific issues of specific candidates. The way the debate was framed wasn’t really helpful in accomplishing that. Better infographics would really help us know who’s up for what, because all things considered, 90 seconds is not nearly enough to get one’s point across.
2. Have an actual debate next time.
Via inquirer.net
The format of this program was not fit for a debate in even the loosest sense of the word. This was, for all intents and purposes, a panel discussion. To have a debate, there need to be topics that cause actual differences in opinion, and not just air out their motherhood stances on issues that the candidates can parrot off of each other.
Look at the best and the worst elements of the US debates for president, whether on the primary level or on the election level. It isn’t perfect either, but by the end of the night, it becomes very clear how different these potential leaders are from each other. On paper, a person with no preconceived biases walks into a “debate” like this one, and they won’t be able to make up their minds because there’s hardly any difference with their apparent policy agenda.
1. Fact-check. Fact-check. Fact-check.
True, it falls upon us, the citizenry, to not fall for sweet words and false promises. That being said, is it too much for the network airing the debate to put some claims made by our presidentiables through the wringer to see if these were true or not?
Don’t say this isn’t possible, when they can calculate how many punches Manny Pacquiao throws every single round and how many actually landed during his fight. If they can do that meticulously, doesn’t fact-checking the people who could be leading this entire country for the next six years at least merit the same sense of urgency?
What are your thoughts and suggestions on the first #PiliPinasDebates2016? Share them in the Comments Section!
