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The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Presidential 'debates' aren't debates at all – they're joint press conferences

  • Written by John P. Koch, Senior Lecturer and Director of Debate, Vanderbilt University

Democratic presidential contenders gather Tuesday evening in Ohio for the latest in a series of televised question-and-answer sessions in the lead-up to the 2020 primary season.

These sessions are called debates by their sponsors and the participants. But are they really?

Presidential debate scholars have long lamented that presidential debates are...

Read more: Presidential 'debates' aren't debates at all – they're joint press conferences

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