WASHINGTON (August 27, 2024) – The campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump clashed this week over the previously agreed-upon debate between the two presidential candidates on September 10th. According to Reuters, the Harris campaign wants ABC News to keep the mics on throughout the entire debate, instead of muting them while the opponent speaks as had been done in the previous presidential debate. Trump’s team is now threatening to pull out of the debate entirely.
Hot mics, when mics are left on, can sometimes catch comments that weren’t meant for the public, therefore helping or hurting political candidates.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis. If you’d like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialists Tayah Frye at [email protected] and Cate Douglass at [email protected].
Peter Loge is the director of the GW School of Media and Public Affairs and Director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication. Loge has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications, including a presidential appointment at the Food and Drug Administration and senior positions for Sen. Edward Kennedy and three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Loge can discuss the presidential race and upcoming debate as well as a number of topics that relate to politics, ethics, communications and political strategy.
Imani M. Cheers is an associate professor of digital storytelling at the George Washington University. Cheers is an award-winning digital storyteller, director, producer, and filmmaker. As a professor of practice, she uses a variety of mediums including video, photography, television, and film to document and discuss issues impacting and involving people of the African Diaspora. Her scholarly focus is on the intersection of women/girls, technology, health, conflict, agriculture, and the effects of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. Cheers is also an expert on diversity in Hollywood, specifically the representation of Black women in television and film.
Jesse J. Holland is an assistant professor and the associate director of the GW School of Media & Public Affairs. He is an award-winning journalist and the author of the first novel featuring comics’ most popular black superhero, The Black Panther. He is a former Race & Ethnicity writer for The Associated Press, having been recognized as one of the few reporters to be credentialed to cover all three branches of the American government during his career: the White House, the Supreme Court and Congress.
Lesley Lopez is the director of the Public Relations and Communications program as well as an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Political Management. Lopez is an expert in media relations, digital storytelling, content creation, inclusive strategic communications and coalition building, and writing. She has served as a journalist, founder of a boutique PR firm, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for the political start-up Run for Something, head of global communications for the U.S.-China Business Council and the Director of Communications for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. She also is currently a state delegate in the Maryland General Assembly, representing District 39, and serves as Deputy Majority Whip.
Todd Belt is the director of the Political Management Program at the GW Graduate School of Political Management. Belt is an expert on the presidency, campaigns and elections, mass media and politics, public opinion, and political humor. In addition to his expertise, Belt is co-author of four books and helps to run GW’s political poll, which recently shared new findings.
Casey Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program at the Graduate School of Political Management and host of its Mastering the Room podcast. Prior to joining GSPM, Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform. Burgat co-authored Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch, a textbook on all things Congress.
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