Hogging the Spotlight (NH RAT Debate Moderators Spoke Almost As Much As the Candidates!)

Columbia Journalism Review Campaign Desk Blog ^ | January 23, 2004 | Zachary Roth

[Timesink]

Spin Buster

Hogging the Spotlight

Did it seem to you that the four moderators spoke about as much as the candidates in last night's Democratic debate? Me too. Having some time on my hands, I decided to see if my hunch was accurate. Here's what I found out:

Peter Jennings spoke more words than each of three candidates: Gen. Wesley Clark, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, and Rev. Al Sharpton. Jennings spoke nearly as many words as Gov. Howard Dean, who was expected to be the focus of this debate. In total, 30 percent of the words spoken came from one of the four moderators/questioners.

Call me an old stick-in-the-mud, but I thought the point of having these debates was to give the candidates a chance tell us what they intend to do as president -- and maybe even argue with each other -- not so we can hear some guy from a New Hampshire TV station talk.

Sen. John Edwards, the accomplished courtroom lawyer, spoke by far the most. Using the familiar debate tactic of simply ignoring that annoying bell, he was able to get in 24 percent more words than runner-up Sen. John Kerry, and 72 percent more than Al Sharpton, who spoke the fewest.

Here's the full run-down, in total words spoken:

Candidates
Edwards: 2641
Kerry: 2128
Lieberman: 2089
Dean: 1968
Clark: 1619
Kucinich: 1550
Sharpton: 1532

Moderators/Questioners
Jennings: 1870
Hume: 1403
Griffith: 1296
Di Staso: 1185

--Zachary Roth

Posted 01/23/04 at 12:52 PM

[Timesink]

This blog, ostensibly a critical look at the news media's coverage of the campaign, looks like it could use some criticism of its own. On its current front page as I write this, it includes links to attacks on the news media written by Eric Alterman, Timothy Noah and Josh Marshall. I don't see a single link to any conservative columnist or blogger.

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Media Shenanigans / Schadenfreude ping

[martin_fierro]

Yeah, I noticed that about Jennings.

I've rarely heard such long-winded questions delivered in such a priggish, mincing, Patrician style.

Brit Hume blew his doors off.

[sauropod]

No surprise wrt "Petah".

[NYC GOP Chick]

Total gasbag who believes that people actually give a crap about what he says...

[GOPJ]

Jennings acted like such an elitist.

His "gotcha" questions - got him far more often than it got any of the candidates. Awful. Just awful.

If he spent more time trying to figure out how to get network news numbers up rather than imagining himself "democrat king maker" it would be a start.

Peter Jennings spoke more words than each of three candidates

[GeronL]

just can't trust MODERATORS huh?? =o)

[Waco]

Have jennings et al been hanging around Art Bell? He can really ruin a guest's appearence with his constant interruptions and blah blahs about nothing. Adds absolutely NOTHING to the show.

[veronica]

It's a sad commentary on the Democrats when Al Sharpton is the most entertaining and honest person there. And Peter Jennnings was his always pompous, self-important, snooty self. Actually Lieberman did a good job - of defending Bush and the war in Iraq . :)

[rebel_yell2]

I think that we watched different debates. Wasn't it Jennings who made such a fool of Clark for supporting his "supporter" Michael Moore? Give Peter credit where credit is due: he was the "man" at this debate.