International Debates Best Practices Workshop Topics
Country Presentations
Each country's representatives shared lessons from organizing debates or outlined anticipated challenges to holding debates.
Best Practices Panels
Organizing Effective Debates
Topics included: forming or identifying a debates sponsoring organization, staffing, choosing a venue, security, budgets, fundraising, voter education and post-election activities, and public outreach.
Negotiations with the Candidates and the Media
Topics included: the legal framework affecting debates, criteria for selecting participating candidates, negotiating with the candidates and the media, strategies for building support for debates, debate format options, and formulating candidate questions.
Debate Production Issues
Topics included: camera placement, audio systems, timing mechanisms, set design, lighting, broadcast feed, back-up systems, onsite media centers, and candidate and moderator preparations.
Featured Speakers:
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., CPD Board Co-Chairman
Bernard Shaw, CNN Anchor Emeritus and former CPD debate moderator
Judy Woodruff, former CPD debate moderator, senior correspondent for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS and co-chairwoman of the International Women's Media Foundation