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How Political Debates Got Stumped

Wikipedia Commons

After the disastrous presidential debate the country witnessed this week between Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, we're asking: Do political debates still matter? 

There have been moments in past debates that did seem to swing public opinion – Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy in 1960 is one of the most notable – but as we head into political debate season, we ask Princeton historian Dr. Julian Zelizer what debates are, what they should be and if they still can have an impact on the outcome of elections. Join Dr. Zelizer and RadioWest on Friday at noon as we look back on the history of political debates and ask what their place is in our increasingly polarized country. 

GUESTS

 

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.