Discussion moderator
In panel discussions commonly held at academic conferences, the moderator usually introduces the participants and solicits questions from the audience. On television and radio shows, a moderator will often take calls from people having differing views, and will use those calls as a starting point to ask questions of guests on the show. Perhaps the most prominent role of moderators is in political debates, which have become a common feature of election campaigns. The moderator may have complete control over which questions to ask, or may act as a filter by selecting questions from the audience.
History
The role of the discussion moderator became significant in the year 1780, when a "Rage for publick debate" led to a number of different organizations advertising and hosting debates for anywhere between 650 and 1200 people.[1] The question for debate was introduced by a president or moderator who proceeded to regulate the discussion. Speakers were given set amounts of time to argue their point of view, and, at the end of the debate, a vote was taken to determine a decision or adjourn the question for further debate.[2] Speakers were not permitted to slander or insult other speakers, or diverge from the topic at hand, illustrating the value placed on politeness.[3]
In the television era, it is common for political debate moderators to be journalists, either individually or as a panel.[4]
References
- ^ Donna T. Andrew, Introduction to London Debating Societies, ix; Mary Thale, "London Debating Societies in the 1790s," The Historical Journal 32, no. 1 (March 1989), p. 59.; Thomas Munck, The Enlightenment: A Comparative Social History 1721-1794 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), p. 72.
- ^ Thale, "London Debating Societies in the 1790s," 60.
- ^ Andrew, "Popular Culture and Public Debate," 409.
- ^ Laura Robinson, Shelia R. Cotton, Jeremy Schulz, Communication and Information Technologies Annual (2015), p. 36.