„Media Azi”, 20th edition: Are election debates necessary or not?

How important election debates are or whether they have become obsolete in the 21st century was the topic discussed in the 20th edition of the “Media Azi” show, with Ivan Sveatcenko as moderator and journalists Ecaterina Kaminskaia and Oleg Brega as guests.

The show protagonists’ conclusion is that debates are necessary: electoral contestants need them to present their points of view, and viewers need them in order to know candidates better, rate their capacities and make the best choice in the voting booth.

The problem is, however, in the quality of debates. What questions do moderators ask their interlocutors? Are they neutral and objective, or do they play into the politicians’ hands, asking formal and comfortable questions? What does the deontological code recommend for such cases? Why don’t the Broadcasting Coordinating Council or the Central Electoral Commission react when propaganda is done during broadcast debates? Where should viewers and listeners, whose consumer rights are violated, refer to in such cases?

Finally, will televisions manage to be neutral, balanced and impartial during the current election campaign, which began long before being officially declared?

See what the two guests of the show say to these and other questions.