Vice-presidential debate coverage
Staff gets opportunity to cover the VP debate
By Yara Ahmed and Sarah Cremer
The Vice Presidential Debate took place on October 7, 2020 on the University of Utah Campus. An estimated 58 million people watched, making it one of the largest and most important events ever to take place in the state.
It was initially planned to be a large event incorporating hundreds of volunteers, staff, security, and 1,000 to 3,000 media personnel. However due to COVID-19, the event was downscaled to the bare minimum. The number of students, faculty, and staff allowed inside or around Kingsbury Hall where the debate was held was also limited. In the end about 200 international and national media were granted access. Despite all of the safety restrictions, the Bulldog Press staff applied for a press passes and were invited by the university to the media room to report on the debate.
The atmosphere inside of the media room was very calm and organized leading up to the debate. While there were limited volunteers on campus, two were stationed next to the media room door to assist those covering the debate by checking them in and providing any assistance with finding individuals that would be willing to be interviewed.
Chris Nelson, Communication Director of the University of Utah, said that one of the things that was most important to him was that students stay involved in this election.
“For students it’s a reminder that this election is very real,” he said.
The university had originally planned to have a watch party at Rice Eccles Stadium, the college’s football facility. This was how they planned to get thousands of students excited and interested in the election. However due to the pandemic, they had to resort to a virtual watch party.
“We want to make sure our students are engaged in this but safely and remotely,” Mr. Nelson said. “The university hopes it's a point of pride.”
Nelson had stated that they had expected approximately 3,000 protestors and supporters outside of Kingsbury Hall. Although those that were inside of the media still felt their presence, some of the BDP reporters covered the event from the outside. Supporters from both sides of the aisle came together to voice their support and frustrations.
BDP journalist, Alyssa Bardugon, interviewed multiple demonstrators on their opinions.
“I feel like most people want the same thing for the future of the United States. They just feel like the candidates can get there in different ways. They all wanted someone who was trustworthy and authentic.”
As a whole, all 20 Bulldog Press staffers who had the opportunity to experience this debate live (whether inside the media room or out on the street) found it to be an eye-opening, invaluable experience.
“It was really cool seeing how passionate people were about American politics,” BDP staffer, senior Henry Frech said. “I know that sounds kind of obvious, but I really didn't know that. I'd never seen it firsthand before”
Opinion: This debate was better than the last one
by Audrey Sparano
This past Wednesday, October 7, was the Vice Presidential Debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris. The debate took place on the campus of the University of Utah in Kingsbury Hall. There were a lot of expectations going into the debate, and I think that it went very well. It was certainly more civil than the presidential debate the week prior.
Going into the debate, I was most excited to see Kamala Harris on the debate stage since I know that she is well respected in law and has many effective argumentative skills. I was also curious to see Pence’s debate style. I know that he is often portrayed as someone who regurgitates information, so I was curious to see if that was true.
Since the American people didn’t get much information out of the last debate, there was a lot hanging on the Vice Presidential candidates. Not only did they have to clear up points their running mate made in the previous debate, but they also had to form coherent arguments for each topic brought up in the debate to properly represent their party and Presidential candidate.
I was very happy with the topics covered during the debate. From COVID-19 to the Economy to the Supreme Court Justice Nominee, some of the biggest issues facing our nation were discussed. While each candidate avoided answering various questions, Americans were able to actually hear what the candidates had to say. If anyone was still undecided going into this debate, I think that they got some valuable information on the positions held by each party.
In this debate, both candidates did a much better job of keeping things civil. In comparison with the previous debate, there was much more respect not only for each other, but also for the moderator. Susan Page did a great job of respectfully asking the candidates to stop speaking when their time was up, perhaps she was even too respectful with both candidates often running overtime.
One of the most notable moments in the debate was when Senator Kamala Harris told Vice President Mike Pence that she was speaking so that he would stop interrupting her. That was a very powerful moment for women watching all over the country. It is not unclear where Vice President Mike Pence stands on issues of women’s rights and equality rights, so to see Senator Harris respond to his disrespect with so much authority was very powerful.
Pence’s strongest moment in the debate was his answer to the final question given by the Utah middle school student. I really like how he brought up the relationship between Justice Ginsberg and Justice Scalia and how they vigorously debated matters in court while maintaining a close personal and family friendship. For many people, and most of the internet, the most interesting and potent part of Vice President Pence’s participation in this debate was the fly that stayed on his head for all of two minutes.
First person: Interviews with supporters
by Alyssa Bardugon
As I crossed the street right in front of President’s Circle, I could already tell that this was going to be an interesting night. Walking up to the designated “protest area,” I pushed through a crowd of unmasked protesters, keeping an eye out for possible interviewees. Having a family on both sides of the political spectrum, I felt confident that I would be able to keep my composure when interviewing someone with different viewpoints than my own. I knew my patience would be tested, but I had no idea what type of crowd that this protest would bring.
I interviewed many people, and although many protesters shared different opinions than me and were speaking on controversial points, they all kept calm and composed. That was until I interviewed two teenagers around my age. When I asked why they supported President Trump, I was immediately met with a defensive answer: “Because I don’t support Biden. I think he is a racist and I think he is a pedophile and I think he is bad for this country.” I was taken aback by the hostility of their answer but continued interviewing.
As the boys explained why they believed Biden was racist, I noticed one of the boy’s shirts. There, in bold letters, the words Proud Boys were prominently displayed. When I questioned the shirt, the boy claimed that Proud Boys is more of a brotherhood than a hate group. “Proud Boys is a community of… So, in Utah, they’re not a hate group. They’re just a … like brothers. They just meet…” At this point, his friend jumps in. “It’s not a white supremacist group. An African American started it.”
After a fact check, I found that this statement was in fact not true. the founder of the Proud Boys is actually a White man from Brooklyn.
One of Alyssa’s interviews was with young supporters of President Trump’s. Photo by Lindsey Housinger.
The boys then asked me why I supported socialism and at this point, I recognized it was time to stop the interview. I thanked them for their time and went along interviewing other supporters and protesters.
As I was interviewing both Trump and Biden supporters, there seemed to be a common theme in their answers. When asked why they support their preferred presidential candidate, many people listed honesty and authenticity as an important determinant. Trump supporters believed that President Trump was more honest than former Vice President Biden because he was authentic and didn’t hold anything back. In comparison, Biden supporters believed that Biden was more honest and trustworthy, citing his 20000+ false or misleading statements, they argued that Biden is transparent with the American people.
It was fascinating to see that although our country seems polarized and divided, all protesters could agree that our nation needs an honest, trustworthy leader.
Having the opportunity to interview both right-leaning and left-leaning Utah residents helped me realize that all of us are pushing for the same thing, a better America. With such divided candidates, it is hard to remember we are all one nation, The United States of America. The only way we can make progress as a country is to come together and fight for a better future. This will take compromise from both parties, but by interviewing protesters at the Vice-Presidential debate, I realized that this is not an impossible task.
