FOX News and GOP presidential candidates turn to Facebook for first debate
For Republicans that don't survive primary season, there is always a job as a social media manager.
Ahead of last night’s GOP debate hosted by FOX News, Donald Trump live-streamed his arrival in Cleveland using Live, Facebook's new live-streaming tool for public figures, and so did Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich; Lindsey Graham and Ben Carson did Facebook’s rapid-fire Q&A; Arnold Schwarzenegger used Facebook to ask the candidates a question before the debate.
FOX News also turned to Facebook to support its coverage of the debates and the strategy paid off: 7.5 million people had more than 20 million interactions on Facebook about the debate.
Facebook provided the network with data about the issues generating the most discussion to inform the questions that FOX News would ask candidates. FOX News also sourced questions for the debate from its Facebook page and, during the debate, it hosted a watch party on its page with network talent interacting with viewers.
Below, the most talked about moments on Facebook from last night’s debate:
Top social moment of the debate on Facebook
The Chris Christie-Rand Paul interaction on the NSA
Top issues discussed by people on Facebook during the debate
1. Immigration
2. Racial issues
3. The economy
4. Education
5 .Abortion
Top candidates discussed during the debate on Facebook
1. Donald Trump
2. Ben Carson
3. Rand Paul
4. Mike Huckabee
5. Chris Christie
Just arrived for the #GOPdebate #MakeAmericaGreatAgain
Posted by Donald J. Trump on Thursday, August 6, 2015