Presidential debates have been a centerpiece of the past five elections. While it is unlikely that any serious presidential candidate would refuse the American public’s appetite for open discussion, some issues–such as what debate format works best–are still not resolved. In continuation of its longstanding involvement in presidential debates, the Twentieth Century Fund initiated a task force to investigate such questions.
The task force was chaired by James Hoge, editor of Foreign Affairs and former editor of New York’s Daily News and the Chicago Sun-Times. Other members of the task force include John Anderson, professor, Nova University Center for the Study of Law and former presidential candidate and Congressman; Hodding Carter III, president, Main Street TV Productions; Michael Dukakis, professor, Northeastern University and former presidential candidate and Governor or Massachusetts; Larry Grossman, president, Horizons Cable Network and former president, NBC News and PBS; Ellen Hume, senior fellow, Annenberg Washington Program; Kathleen Hall Jamieson, dean and professor, the Annenberg School for Communication; David Norcross, general counsel, Republican National Committee; and Ed Turner, executive vice president, CNN.
