CNN makes history with YouTube presidential debate

On July 23 at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., Democratic presidential candidates participated in a YouTube, Google’s online video sharing site, under the watchful eyes of CNN’s Anderson Cooper and its cameras. CNN used videos uploaded to YouTube as the questions for the Democratic candidates.The Democratic Presidential primary debate is not yet a marriage but at least a first date of new technology (Youtube) and traditional media (CNN).The two-hour debate featured answers from the Democratic candidates responding to videos from the YouTube users. It was moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and broadcasted live.The chosen videos ranged in tone and substance from the outrageous, to the heartfelt, to the awkwardly personal. Whatever the nature of the questions, the two-hour debate marked a new chapter in American presidential politics.There are mixed reviews regarding CNN/YouTube Democratic presidential debates. Some have hyped the events as groundbreaking and historic and others have called them more evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. The event was a mixing of old media (television) and new media (internet) in a format that had not been done previously in the area of presidential debates. Some 3000 peoSee Debate, page 2