Journalists Balk at Presidential Debate Rules

Posted on September 29, 2004

Power attorney Vernon Jordan and former Secretary of State Howard Baker wrote a 32-page agreement laying out the rules of the first presidential debate, which will occur tomorrow night in Florida. The two men, who are more used to negotiating major legal agreements or international documents, hammered out a document full of restrictive rules designed to show the candidates in their best light.

The rules cover everything from the temperature in the room to the types of paper the candidates can take notes on. (They each get to pick their own style of pen, though.) The networks are refusing to abide by the "no-cutaways" rule, which would forbid showing the reaction shot of the non-speaking candidate.

Journalists also refused to agree to the restriction on camera angles -- so both debaters better be careful not to do anything bizarre while the other guy is speaking. You just never know what the camera will pick up.

But the oddest rule of them all is that the candidates will not be allowed to ask each other questions. This is a debate, right?