Commentary and analysis on presidential debates from MU scholar

As the last full month of presidential campaigning begins, candidates’ debates are more important than ever. However, analysis of these debates and their messages sometimes can be an exhausting task. Mitchell S. McKinney, assistant professor of Communication, is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar on presidential debates whose work in analyzing these debates has taken him across the country and the world.

McKinney’s analysis of presidential debates provides answers to such questions as

• Can debates really affect the outcome of an election?
• How can a debate moderator control the debate agenda?
• Do viewers respond differently to debates if candidates are seated, standing at podiums, or walking around in a town hall forum?
• Which debate "type" – journalists or citizens asking questions – results in greater issue vs. image learning for voters?
• Which debate "type" – journalists or citizens asking questions – results in more engaged, and likely to vote, citizens?
• What role do the vice presidential debates serve for voters?
• Do debates, which typically end by mid-October, have lasting effects on the electorate . . . at least until Election Day?

McKinney’s research has focused on Town Hall debates since their inception during the 1992 presidential campaign. His analysis provides answers to questions such as

• Do viewers respond differently to a Town Hall debate than they do to the more formal "podium" debates?
• How do the issues discussed in a Town Hall debate differ from the questions asked in a journalist-led debate?
• How does viewing a Town Hall debate lead to a more "engaged" citizen?
• How have the Town Hall debates changed since 1992, now relegating citizen-questioners almost to the role of citizen-prop?

In 1992, McKinney consulted with the Commission on Presidential Debates, advising the Commission on how debates could be structured in order to better educate citizens on significant campaign issues. Most recently, McKinney advised the presidential debate committee of South Korea as Seoul officials were planning the 2002 televised debates.

In addition to advising several committees, McKinney has conducted extensive research of various candidates in their previous debate performances, including such candidates as George W. Bush and Al Gore in their 2000 presidential debates and John Kerry and John Edwards in their 2004 Democratic primary debates.

The author of The 1992 Presidential Debates in Focus, McKinney has co-authored and edited four other books and numerous research articles on presidential debates.

2004

Additional links:

Mitchell McKinney
Department of Communication

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