It’s received wisdom in the world of professional politics that many more people receive their information about a political debate from the coverage and commentary that follows it than from the event itself.
So Topic A on this week’s edition of Newsmakers TV was teasing out the multiple strands of political narrative likely to flow from Thursday night’s face-to-face-to-face encounter featuring mayoral candidates Eric Friedman, Wendy Sims-Moten and Kristen Sneddon talking politics and policy before an outsize crowd at the New Vic Theatre.
Amanda Velasco, who covered the event for the News-Press, and Ryan P. Cruz, who did likewise for the Independent, join Josh Molina and the genial host — who co-moderated the affair — to offer a case study of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle risks and rewards of hosting a debate and then analyzing it.
The gang also breaks down the big City Council vote advancing the State Street Master Plan, discussing how the big unanswered questions about the project — not least, how it will be paid for — intersect with the mayoral and council campaigns, as Labor Day marks the unofficial start of campaign season.
Plus: a peek behind the curtain of what news organizations want to get out of sponsoring a debate; fun with numbers and fearless forecasting on the mayor’s race; and how it feels to write under the meanest of deadline pressures while colleagues all around you are yukking it up and stuffing pizza slices into their pie holes.
All this and more, right here, right now, on Newsmakers TV.
Check out the latest episode via YouTube below or by clicking this link. Our podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or on SoundCloud. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 5 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on weekends.
How did ICE/locals interactions, Flock cameras and role of Mayor when emergency caused by fire, flood, and 101 closure not get mentioned but role of media (Newspress) did get time? Sorry to be critical but opening statements allow candidates to highlight what they consider important as opposed to a media generated "dispute" over a comment about clarity of how we have a deficit. What is the status of deficit now? Numbers?
How is it that subjects of Flock cameras and Ice/local interactions (the current emergency) was ignored by moderators? How is it that City impacts of trump policies on funding and bigotry and war was not mentioned? Opening statements would allow candidates to list positions on subjects the moderators failed to deal with.