Botched Debate Draws Complaints By Thousands

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Botched Debate Draws Complaints By Thousands

By Jason Lee Miller - Thu, 04/17/2008 - 17:42

16,562 blog comments and climbing

In case you thought you were alone, you're not the only one miffed* at ABC's Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos after last night's "debate." Over 16,000 people have commented so far at ABCNews.com's debate page—and most of it's not good.

The title struck me as funny: "Philly Fight Night: Dems Spar Over Electability." It was funny to me because my wife was surprised last night a primary debate was on a major broadcast network instead of CNN or other news channel. I responded that the Democratic race had become a kind of Wrestlemania.

I didn't know Gibson and Stephie were going to pull Obama into a three-on-one cage match. But that's pretty much what happened. If you were one of many who likely turned off the debate after 45 minutes of "Barack, why are you such a jerk" questions, they did actually get to some issues that mattered. Why, right there at the end, the candidates got one full minute each to address the gas crisis.

But the flag pin question is important, too, I guess, in Bizarro America where steroids become cause for Congressional investigations and former Clinton White House staffers somehow don't have a conflict of interest while moderating a very important debate.

Anyway, I'm not the only one complaining about it. ABC News is probably wishing they never enabled viewer commentary on their site – sometimes Web 2.0-style feedback can feel like a virtual lynching. I don't know what the record for number of comments on an interactive site is, but this has to approach the record, at least for a broadcast network site.

Here are a few choice comments:

Trash. Plain and simple. What a waste of time. ABC owes the American people an apology. I now understand more than ever why I don't watch ABC news.

How low ABC news has fallen along with the rest of American television journalism. It's hard to believe that this was once the network of Peter Jennings and Ted Koppel, who always assumed the intelligence of their audience. What we saw last night was tabloid journalism of the worst sort. The MSM bears a strong responsibility for the debasement of our political discourse and with it of our democracy, precisely because of their focus on this kind of trivia. Shame on ABC! Shame on George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson!!

Totally pathetic - when CG and GS weren't sobbing over those poor souls making 200K+ who might have to pay more taxes, they were focusing on the most inane issues possible (Lapel pins? Seriously?). Thanks for killing democracy guys! And you wonder why network news is failing and Jon Stewart's ratings are soaring...
Watching this "debate" with my eighteen year-old son made me ashamed of being an adult. How can I expect him to take voting seriously when our national media treat the election process so shabbily?
wow abc how embarassing for you. I expect tmz.com could run a better debate.

That last one seems especially harsh, don't you think? Oh well. One thing we can say about the power of the Internet and the now two-way conversation between media and the public is that the public has a much better an efficient way of letting the media know what's what.

_{*The word "miffed" officially wins the Understatement of the Day Award}

News Tags: Social Media, Politics, ABC, Democrat Primary debate, Hillary Clinton, Charles Gibson, George Stephanopoulos, Web 2.0, Pennsylvania, Barack Obama

About the author:
Jason Lee Miller is a WebProNews editor and writer covering business and technology.

37 Comments

By Internet Marketing Indonesia (WPN reader) - Mon, 11/10/2008 - 03:46

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By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:24

ahahahahahahahahaahhahahaha

ahahahahahahahahaahhahahahahaha he sucks

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:22

i conquer...

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:23

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:21

charles....

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:19

throw your hands in the air

throw your hands in the air in ms kokes class

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:22

charles is so saucey and ugly

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:20

I like cake!FROM JARED

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:19

djhrhjgrejwrhjbsvnfmnndsbfndb

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By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:18

if you are sauce respond now

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:18

Hi I'm Charles!

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:19

Charles is A1 sauce noob.

Charles is A1 sauce noob. FROM JARED

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:21

chauncy is also sauce and

chauncy is also sauce and sucks at bball

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:17

charles is some sauce

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:18

Totally what a noob!

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:16

ousama no koe ni sakaratte

ousama no koe ni sakaratte
barechatta yoru kimi wa waratte ita

oorora ni sawareru hoka no ue
ryoute wo nobashite boku wo sasotte ita

hodokete barabara ni natta biizu
kirei da ne tte yozora ni purezento

doukashi wa sugao wo misenaide
joudan mitai ni aru hi inaku natta

sekai wa kyou mo kantansou ni mawaru
sono supiido de namida mo kawaku kedo

kimi no yume ga kanau no wa
dareka no okage ja nai ze
kaze no tsuyoi hi wo erande hashitte kita

imagoro doko de doushite iru no ka na
me ni ukabu tereta ushiro sugata ni
aitai na

kimi no yume ga kanau no wa
dareka no okage ja nai ze
kaze no tsuyoi hi wo erande hashitte kita

tobenakute mo fuan ja nai
jimen wa tsuzuite iru n da
sukina basho e yukou
kimi nara sore ga dekiru

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:17

ousama no koe ni sakaratte

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:17

ousama no koe ni sakaratte

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:12

My name is Jared and I love

My name is Jared and I love all of you despite your non-intuitive opinions. I salute for your valiant, yet tyrifling effort in this here debate. If you have a complaint on Google, then go to your rooms and cry. Google is a gift to all and to all a good night. We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

* Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We've know each other for so long
Your heart's been aching
But you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it

And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see

(* repeat)

give you up. give you up
give you up, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, five you up

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

(* repeat 3 times)

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:14

Your a weirdo.

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:15

BE QUIET!!!

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:15

You be quiet Noob.

By Guest (WPN reader) - Wed, 05/14/2008 - 11:16

I'll noobtube you from

I'll noobtube you from across the map on Ambush NOOOOOOOB!

By Guest (WPN reader) - Sun, 05/04/2008 - 08:02

So what do you think?

So what do you think will happen with the election this year?

By Irie (WPN reader) - Mon, 04/21/2008 - 10:05

POOR SOULS MAKING 200K+

Totally pathetic - when Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos weren't sobbing over those poor souls making 200K+ who might have to pay more taxes

This is why we should all vote for Barrack Obama, how many average Americans make over 200K per year, Seriously how many of us barely makes over 18K per year, we can barely support our family, yet we still have to pay high taxes. How much did Hillary and Bill Clinton made?.

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By Joe Cheray (WPN reader) - Sun, 04/20/2008 - 15:23

Yet another reason why....

I stay out of politics. In our state it doesn't matter who gets what anyway as our state always votes rebuplican when the time comes for the electoral college to do what it needs to do.

So I just sit and watch the debates and the mud slinging and all the other nonsense that goes with it and hope for the best.

By Guest (WPN reader) - Sun, 04/20/2008 - 12:45

Now I see why people

Now I see why people grounded in reality always say how fun it is watching the democratic candidates. It really is like watching a snake eat it's own tail!

By Tammy Elaine (WPN reader) - Sun, 04/20/2008 - 12:18

That's what we have become...

...It was a fine example of what the US media has become, just as the popularity of a radical muslim in the Presidential race shows what America has become. It's all a bad joke. I feel as though I am sitting on the sidelines watching America go down the proverbial toilet. People better wake up or they are going to find that after election day, they have elected the enemy into office. Go John McCain!

...and Boo-Hiss to Charlie Gibson and George "Sit and lie to us"! Where is Peter Jennings when we need him?

By MOLLY RED NECK (WPN reader) - Mon, 04/21/2008 - 10:12

Dearest Tammy Elaine, I know

Dearest Tammy Elaine, I know if i open up the encyclopedia I will see your name under STUPID...IGNORANT...FOOLISH...ARROGANT....SYMPATHETIC...A WORTHLESS HUMAN BEING. Obama is a muslim where is your proof, did you ever get out of pre-kindergaarten, John Mccain is an arrogant terrorist just like George Bush, who will only jeopardize the safety of the American People.