MSNBC.com Provides Complete Coverage of the 2000 Debates

By many accounts, the webcasts of the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention were significant events indicating the potential role of streaming in politics. MSNBC.com (http://www.MSNBC.com) plans to continue the streaming coverage of the path to the presidency with live online coverage of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates scheduled to air in October on MSNBC Cable and NBC News. The Internet coverage of the debates will include streaming video coupled with interactive analysis. The first Presidential debate will take place tomorrow evening in Boston.

MSNBC.com's coverage will include Live Chats, reader/viewer email, interactive biographies of the candidates, links to their positions on the issues, links to voter information, and the ability to vote for the debate winner in real time. Additionally, Tom Curry, MSNBC.com's chief national correspondent, will provide analysis of the debate styles of both Gore and Bush with interactive video from their previous debates.

MSNBC.com plans to add more streaming programming to their site in honor of the debates. MSNBC.com in conjunction with TV Guide will produce "Eight Debates that Rate" to appear in a special video section of Decision2000.MSNBC.com.

"This is a ground-breaking year for election coverage on the Internet,'' said Merrill Brown, editor in chief of MSNBC.com.