Embrace Debate (Hunter Field Editor’s Note)

(Arkansas PBS)

I felt it was important to start last week’s congressional debate between U.S. Rep. French Hill and Marcus Jones by thanking both candidates and acknowledging that their simply showing up was a good thing.

I was compelled to say so because more candidates around the country are starting to forgo debates, starting at the top of the ticket.

Journalist Steve Brawner and KARK anchor Caitrin Assaf joined me as panelists for the 2nd Congressional District debate, which Arkansas PBS’ Steve Barnes moderated.

It was the first of four congressional debates the public television network hosted last week, and the incumbent congressman in each race agreed to participate alongside their opponents.

The Arkansas PBS debates are an election-year tradition in Arkansas, and for the most part, candidates in the major state and federal races show. (The few notable exceptions have come when one of the two major parties failed to field a candidate.)

I’m glad the tradition has remained strong, but I do worry that candidates from Arkansas will eventually follow the poor examples set by candidates further up the ticket or elsewhere in the country.

It aligns with a broader trend of candidates avoiding extended questioning by independent journalists. Kamala Harris mostly avoided extended press interviews until a recent blitz, and Donald Trump canceled an interview last week with “60 Minutes,” the first major party presidential candidate to skip a pre-election interview on “60 Minutes” in half a century.

I don’t doubt the political wisdom behind these new approaches to dealing with the news media. Social media has completely flipped how candidates can communicate with voters, so they’re less reliant on traditional outlets to get their message out. And if we’re being honest, very few voters are going to be swayed by a debate or interview performance anyway. Plus, who enjoys being grilled on difficult issues in a live setting?

It also raises another interesting question. If the point is to win an election, why should candidates — particularly heavily favored ones — agree to any interview or debate that could very well hurt them if it goes poorly?

I think that answer requires an appeal to our better angels. It is a good — and I believe necessary — thing for public servants to answer tough questions publicly about their past actions and future plans. Hill and Jones discussed abortion, ideas to fix the impending insolvency of Social Security and the cause of the rural health care crisis.

They disagreed without being disagreeable and shook hands when PBS’ cameras turned off. All good things.

That debate along with others held last week can be watched on Arkansas PBS’ website: pbs.org/show/aetn-debates.

Each is an hour long, far too short to learn everything about a candidate. But if you watch, you’ll be better off when you step into the voting booth next month.

Email Hunter Field, editor of Arkansas Business, at hfield@abpg.com