Yahoo, Huffington Post, Slate plan first online presidential debates

Computerworld - Search portal Yahoo Inc., political Web site The Huffington Post and online magazine Slate are planning to host two online-only presidential debates during the 2008 campaign.

The debates will be hosted on the Web sites of all three companies. Voters will be able to ask questions directly of the candidates, with some questioners seen via video uploads, to participate in the debate in real-time. They can also decide which candidate is giving the best performance, according to a statement from the three companies.

The debates, scheduled to take place after Labor Day, will be hosted by Charlie Rose, an interviewer on PBS. The Democratic debate will feature opening remarks by Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. A spokesman for the Republican debate was not named.

"We intend for these debates to be a groundbreaking mix of old and new traditions in politics," Rose said in the statement. "2008 will be a momentous year for the electoral process in America, thanks in large part to technology and politics connecting like never before. I am proud to host the first-ever online-only debate, which will reach and engage the voting audience in a whole new way."

There will be two online-only debates, one for Democrats and one for Republicans, according to the statement. Candidates who have formally announced their intention to run for president will be invited to participate and will be able to join the debate from anywhere they choose, the companies said.

"We hope these first online debates will be a breakthrough, both in terms of technology and political communication," said Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate, in the statement. "The candidates will be able to have a real discussion in real time -- but without having to be in the same place. We think the Internet can bring the same kind of immediacy to presidential debates that it has to other aspects of the political process."

Yahoo spokesman Brian Nelson said viewers will submit questions via e-mail or upload a video of themselves asking questions. The questions and videos will be filtered by staff and passed on to Rose, who will present them to the candidates.