The WBA Foundation Board is proud to bring back to this year’s U.S. Senate debate a data team of Wisconsin broadcast journalists that will provide Wisconsin voters with the research behind the questions asked at the U.S. Senate debate on Oct. 18.
Qualifying U.S. Senate candidates Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde have agreed to participate in the debate.
The data team will work together with the Question Team (announced last week) to research topics important to Wisconsin voters and formulate questions for the candidates. The data team will share the sources behind the research on the debate website and on social media after the questions are asked the evening of the debate. The goal of the data team is to provide voters with transparency to the data behind the questions asked of the candidates.
It also enables the audience to access reliable material that adds context to complex and contentious issues. The WBA’s debate data-rich website will be accessible during and after the debate.
The following broadcasters will make up the data team:
Darrielle Fair, Political Reporter, WKOW-TV, Madison
Jonathan Krause, Director of Multimedia Journalism, Woodward Community Media, Appleton
Harm Venhuizen, Political Reporter/Multimedia Journalist, WGBA-TV, Green Bay (and WTMJ-TV)
Elizabeth Wadas, Lead Investigative Reporter, WMTV-TV, Madison
The debate will be moderated by WBA Hall of Fame inductee Jill Geisler. Geisler holds the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago. The lifelong Wisconsinite was one of the first female news directors of a major market affiliate as news director at WITI-TV in Milwaukee. She’s moderated numerous WBA Foundation debates since 2014.
The announcement of the Data Team now completes the full debate team announcement:
From left to right:
Question Team:
Aditi Debnath, Reporter, PBS Wisconsin
Allyson Fergot, Reporter, WKBT News 8 Now, La Crosse
Neil Johnson, Reporter/Producer, Big Radio, Janesville
Shannon Sims, Anchor, TMJ4, Milwaukee
Jeff Thelen, Anchor/Producer, WSAW-TV, Wausau
Data Team:
Darrielle Fair, Political Reporter, WKOW-TV, Madison
Jonathan Krause, Director of Multimedia Journalism, Woodward Community Media, Appleton
Harm Venhuizen, Political Reporter/Multimedia Journalist, WGBA-TV, Green Bay (and WTMJ-TV)
Elizabeth Wadas, Lead Investigative Reporter, WMTV-TV, Madison
Moderator:
Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University, Chicago
The WBA encourages its members to inform the public by airing this debate and their own programming to help educate voters ahead of the election.
The WBA Foundation debate is sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association.
This debate marks a continuation of the WBA Foundation’s 34-year tradition of conducting broadcast debates.
The WBA is a non-partisan statewide trade association representing radio and television broadcasters across the state.
Questions or inquiries about the debates should be directed to debate@wbafoundation.org.