Ad watches should be run more than once, especially if campaigns persist in running misleading or erroneous commercials. Local television stations should run their own ad watches and not leave the field to newspapers. At the same time, the media should do more reporting on the various consultants behind the ads and on their campaign roles. Sound-bite campaigns Give candidates the chance to speak for themselves. Currently those running for office get much less television time than the media pundits.
Voters say they'd like to hear more from the candidates without the filter of the press.
The press could still report and analyze what the candidates say. In 1996, there was some limited success in persuading the networks to give the candidates free television time to make their case. Such innovations deserve further discussion. The real problem is that the campaigns, not the Commission on Presidential Debates, must ultimately agree on the format, and the campaigns are unwilling to take risks. The 1996 debates may not have changed many votes, but they provided the only opportunities for voters to size up the candidates on the same stage.