Rather Criticizes Debate Formats

CBS News Anchor Dan Rather, speaking yesterday at Harvard Law School, criticized this week's round of presidential debates and suggested a number of ways the public and the press can hold elected officials accountable.

"My young friends, I am not an expert on anything...but I am a questioner," Rather told the midday gathering of 200. "It may be that even if we don't come up with any answers, we may learn something from the questioning."

Rather, who is also managing editor of CBS Evening News and 48 Hours, the weekly TV news-magazine, said that voters must work to ensure the commitment of elected officials to their constituents.

Ultimately, "accountability must begin with you and with me," he said.

The journalist suggested that accountabilityshould be demanded first by reconstructingpolitical debates to force candidates to discusspertinent issues.

"Tonight, we get the vice presidential editionof a national quiz show," Rather said, noting thatunder this year's system, the three candidatestend to answer questions with more questions, justlike on "Jeopardy!"

"Real debates give power back to the voter,where it should be," he said.

Rather advocated debates modeled after the 1856Lincoln/Douglas exchanges--a series of seven threehour exchanges in which the two candidates forthat year's Illinois U.S. Senate race debated eachother head-to-head. He said the format would forceoffice, hopefuls to articulate and defend theirviews.

The current debate format is flawed, Rathersaid, in that candidates do not get beyond thefirst answer to a question.

Follow-up questions, proposed by the bipartisanCommission on Presidential Debates but rejected inthe compromise proposal demanded by the Bushcampaign, would force candidates to go beyondsuperficial "canned" answers, Rather said.

CBS, along with NBC News and many newspapers,refused to allow any of its reporters toparticipate in the debates, since the campaignswere allowed to choose which reporters took part,he said.

Rather conceded with a smile that such an openforum as the Lincoln/Douglas format in moderntimes would lead to a "shock to the candidate ofnot being able to say, 'My message has beenmisreported."'

In conjunction with public debates, Rather saidthat the vote, the court and the free press wereimportant safeguards of public accountability.

"Only by doing these things," he said,mentioning debates, national conventions and otherpolitical broadcasts, "can those of us inbroadcast news take account of ourselves."

Rather's address was the Law School Forum'sfirst event of the year

The journalist suggested that accountabilityshould be demanded first by reconstructingpolitical debates to force candidates to discusspertinent issues.

"Tonight, we get the vice presidential editionof a national quiz show," Rather said, noting thatunder this year's system, the three candidatestend to answer questions with more questions, justlike on "Jeopardy!"

"Real debates give power back to the voter,where it should be," he said.

Rather advocated debates modeled after the 1856Lincoln/Douglas exchanges--a series of seven threehour exchanges in which the two candidates forthat year's Illinois U.S. Senate race debated eachother head-to-head. He said the format would forceoffice, hopefuls to articulate and defend theirviews.

The current debate format is flawed, Rathersaid, in that candidates do not get beyond thefirst answer to a question.

Follow-up questions, proposed by the bipartisanCommission on Presidential Debates but rejected inthe compromise proposal demanded by the Bushcampaign, would force candidates to go beyondsuperficial "canned" answers, Rather said.

CBS, along with NBC News and many newspapers,refused to allow any of its reporters toparticipate in the debates, since the campaignswere allowed to choose which reporters took part,he said.

Rather conceded with a smile that such an openforum as the Lincoln/Douglas format in moderntimes would lead to a "shock to the candidate ofnot being able to say, 'My message has beenmisreported."'

In conjunction with public debates, Rather saidthat the vote, the court and the free press wereimportant safeguards of public accountability.

"Only by doing these things," he said,mentioning debates, national conventions and otherpolitical broadcasts, "can those of us inbroadcast news take account of ourselves."

Rather's address was the Law School Forum'sfirst event of the year