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[/media-credit]On Wednesday, September 16, the Republican candidates for president of the United States will engage in a much anticipated debate on CNN. Similar to the August 6 debate on Fox News, the CNN debate will be historic. The ratings are expected to hit the skies and bring in millions of dollars for the people at CNN.
This debate is not just about who the next U.S. president will be and what that person will do when they assume office. There are also questions about TV ratings, advertisement, and the money it brings to news organizations, which leads to the heart of another issue– how the for-profit media in America really functions.
Is the media’s obsession with Donald Trump all tied to their bottom line, sales, advertisement, and profits?
Trump, the one who is commanding the most attention, has reportedly asked CNN to donate the huge proceeds expected from ad sales to Veteran organizations, because, as he says, this is all happening because of him.
Nevertheless, from what we learned from the last debate, the candidates said nothing about the African continent even while Africa is a centerpiece of a 21st-century global economy.
U.S. president, Barack Obama has opened the doors for more trade and investment with the continent. Recently the U.S. Congress renewed the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for another 10 years, paving the way for continued trade and investment with the African countries.
With all this, the U.S. still lags behind China in its investments in the continent.
During the debate on Fox News, the candidates said a lot about China, the one that has invested billions in the economies of African countries. They also said a lot about Mexico, Israel, Iran, and other countries. But no one said a thing about the Africa continent.
As the boxing match unfolds before our eyes, questions for the candidates are being posed from every corner of the globe. Celebrities in America have their own questions for the candidates. The Brookings Institution has 11 foreign policy questions for the candidates.
So, in this next fight, I am curious about a few things such as this: Who will be the first to mention Africa in their discussion during the debate; the moderators or the candidates.
CNN has opened its website for the public to ask questions to the candidates as well. We want YOU to ask questions specifically related to the African continent. Here is the link. Throw your hat into the ring.
The debate begins at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.
To read more, see Washington Post: Can we stop blaming the media for Donald Trump? Nope. Not at all.
