This episode aired September 9th, 2024 at 12pm.
One of the reasons media is influential is because it leads us to make decisions that affect our lives. A movie might inspire a new place to travel or a sport to try. A commercial can lead us to choose a certain toothpaste. A podcast might influence where we choose to live or a career choice. A news story can impact what we think about social issues. And televised debates, even in an age of social media, can inform who we vote for and even what we believe about our country. This episode of Media Inside Out took place the day before the first live televised presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The stakes couldn’t be more consequential. Many news organizations have reported that people intend to watch the debates specifically to help them decide their voting choice; or whether to vote at all. In this episode of Media Inside Out, we explored how televised debates have affected past presidential elections, how it might affect this one, and what we personally should be aware of when we watch two powerful people and one reporter discuss the issues of our time. We have a lot to discuss. Let’s go inside.
Guests
David Boardman
David Boardman is the dean of the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University in Philadelphia. He is the founding chair of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the nonprofit that owns The Philadelphia Inquirer. Previously, Boardman was executive editor and senior vice president of The Seattle Times. This year, he was named the Scripps Howard Administrator of the year by his peers in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).
Michael Hagen
Michael Hagen is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Temple University. Prior to arriving at Temple, he was Associate Research Professor and Director of the Center for Public Interest Polling at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Hagen’s current research focuses on the conduct and consequences of campaigns and elections in Pennsylvania and the United States.