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So, exciting news: I'm going to Charleston, S.C to cover the CNN/YouTube Democratic Presidential Debates next Monday on behalf of BlogHer.
On Friday, I'm going to have the opportunity to interview CNN's Anderson Cooper, who's hosting the debates. If you have a question for Anderson Cooper, comment below, and I'll pose it.
BlogHers Act star, the MotherHood's Cooper (Monroe) said, "Also I love the idea of him weighing in pm [sic?] what he thinks 11,000 bloggers should do to make a difference!"
Cindy wants to ask:
he was a real pioneer in breaking down the "wall" between journalists & viwers way back at channel one when he'd go around with just him & his camcoder and just talk to it in saigon or yugoslavia. How and when do we NEED the mediation of a professional journalist and how often, in these times do we get it when we do need it?
Here's what I want to know: Cooper is a journalist with a Capital J. These debates are the first real political foray into citizen journalism. People can submit questions via YouTube and Anderson will present the questions from the public. How big a shift does this really signal? Is it a shift, or is it a stunt?
Speaking of, Time's Ana Marie Cox was pretty snarky about the Web 2.0 nature of the debate: "Attentive readers will recall that excitement among the internetters is about as heated as it appears to be among journalists. Their best hope, I think, is if they get "Obama Girl" to moderate." Oh, snap.
Lou Cabron scoffs,
while it's morbidly amusing to imagine candidates groveling for LonelyGirl15's endorsement, YouTube is slyly attempting to appear democratic without actually accomplishing anything. But maybe that's YouTube's cynical comment on democracy itself. Maybe they're imagining the event's slogan as: "It's participatory! It's YouTube! And it's stupid! Just like voting...
Now, come on, Lou. Don't be snarky. There are One Million Strong for Obama on Facebook!
I think this is the problem: not enough women asking questions. In one of our forums, Women's Voices, Women's Vote noted that "of the first 200 [video] submissions, only 34 were from women!" Yuck. I'd love to ask Anderson why he thinks men are rushing to the camcorder...and I must admit, the whole YouTube Debate site does have a very boy feel to it.
Maybe you want to ask Anderson what he thinks about that?
PS: At yesterday's Planned Parenthood forum in DC, Elizabeth Edwards said Hillary Clinton is not as vocal an advocate for women's issues as she wishes she were and lances the Clinton campaign's suggestion that people should vote for Mrs. Clinton because she is a woman. I'd LOVE to hear Cooper's thoughts on whether being a woman is a political qualification in itself, but I'm not sure he's allowed to answer that one…
PPS: A while back, Suzanne Reisman noted that she and Anderson share a TV guilty pleasure : My Suer Sweet 16 and Tiara Girls. Cooper said in Entertainment Weekly, [They're] jaw-dropping and mind-numbing… On the second season of My Super Sweet 16, all the really horrible girls had seen the first season and were trying to top them in horribleness. On Tiara Girls , there's a fresh level of horror." I wonder if he has any YouTube guilty pleasures? (Mine is watching stupid videos of people's puppies)
