For Immediate Release: October 12, 2006
UMW DEBATE LAUNCHES WEBLOG WITH WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
Fredericksburg, Va. – The University of Mary Washington and Wake Forest University have teamed up to launch DebateScoop.org, a one-stop cyberspace source for electoral political debate coverage in the United States. As a community-based weblog, the site enables campaigns, the media and members of the public to interact with a team of debate experts.
“We started this collaborative project because we believe that more and better debate is crucial to meeting the challenges or our times,” said co-founder Timothy O’Donnell, director of debate and associate professor of speech at UMW.
Ross Smith, debate coach at Wake Forest and the co-founder of DebateScoop, said that “such coverage of political debates by debate experts is unique and unprecedented.”
The site was officially launched Sunday, October 1, in conjunction with NBC’s “Meet the Press” senate debate series. In the weeks before the November 7 election, the site will cover many of the key debates in the Senate, the House of Representatives and gubernatorial races. The founders have recruited a team of debate scholars from around the nation to contribute analyses of key debates for the purpose of promoting public understanding of what makes for “good debate.”
On Monday, October 9, two members of the UMW community were featured at DebateScoop to offer analysis of the debate between Virginia’s Senate candidates, George Allen (R) and Jim Webb (D). In this forum, John Morello, associate vice president for academic affairs, and Adrienne Brovero, head coach of the university’s debate team, posted insights and analysis of the debate, which came at a pivotal time in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
“We are especially happy to have Morello and Brovero team up for this debate,” said Smith, who explained that “the aggregate debate expertise in residence at UMW is testimony to UMW’s commitment to a debate education.”
“Our long term goal is to change the nature of political debates in this country,” said Dr. O’Donnell. “For too long, those who are best positioned to contribute to the national discussion of debate have been silent, letting the media and campaigns guide public understanding of debate.”
For further information, contact Dr. O’Donnell at (540) 654-1252 or todonnel@umw.edu
# # #
News release prepared by: Amy Jessee