Guardian, Telegraph & YouTube bid to break broadcaster’s election debate stranglehold
A cross platform collaboration between The Guardian, The Telegraph and YouTube is aiming to shake up coverage of the 2015 General Election by bidding to stage a leaders debate between the main contenders for Prime Minister.
The audacious bid is being played as an attempt to introduce new audience interaction techniques whilst appealing to a younger audience and would break the traditional broadcaster’s monopoly in which the BBC, ITV and Sky hold sway.
It would see a live feed hosted by Google made available to any media site as well as for broadcast on traditional platforms with viewers able to discuss the candidate’s performances on social media using the hashtag #onlinedebate.
Many details still need to be worked out regarding the format of the broadcast; such as which leaders should participate and what should be discussed but it has been agreed that it should be moderated by a woman.
Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian editor-in-chief, said: "The digital world has become an increasingly vital democratic tool and forum for debate, and it's imperative that politicians understand and embrace the opportunities afforded to them by it. Open, digital-first journalism that holds power to account lies at the heart of the Guardian's mission, which is why we believe the proposed partnership between us, the Telegraph and YouTube is such an important and exciting next step in the changing relationship between politicians and the electorate."