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Press Releases | In the News | Media Contact Info Press Release SpeakOut.com and MSNBC Join Forces to Enhance GOP Debate Coverage WASHINGTON, D.C. — December 9, 1999 — SpeakOut.com and MSNBC today announced an agreement that will allow citizens to take a more active role than ever in the upcoming Republican debate to be broadcast on the network. The agreement between SpeakOut.com and MSNBC, which is renewable for future debates, commences with MSNBC's Monday, December 13 Republican debate in Des Moines, Iowa produced in conjunction with NBC affiliate WHO-TV. The MSNBC/SpeakOut.com agreement features an array of citizen interactivity tools developed by SpeakOut.com, with promotion and exclusive first broadcast on MSNBC. The tools include SpeakOut.com's interactive Internet survey of debate viewers, real-time analyzer of registered voters, and a post-debate survey of nationwide Internet users. All SpeakOut.com tools are designed to let people voice their own opinion before the candidates and pundits spin who "won" and who "lost." The results will be broadcast on MSNBC shortly after the debate and will be available for analysis shortly thereafter at SpeakOut.com. "For opinion gathering and analysis, SpeakOut.com's agreement with MSNBC is a significant step toward elevating the people's voice in the American political process," stated Ron Howard, Chairman and CEO of SpeakOut.com. "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with MSNBC on this project. Their exclusive televised coverage of the debates and our real-time analysis of the data will provide a unique perspective on people's opinions of the candidates." "We are pleased to work with SpeakOut.com on this new combination of news broadcasting and real-time audience interaction," said Erik Sorenson, Vice President and General Manager of MSNBC. "The Internet will be a powerful force in giving citizens a voice in American politics, and SpeakOut.com will play an important role in this new online opinion arena." The agreement between SpeakOut.com and MSNBC also allows the cable network to draw upon SpeakOut.com's advisors for on-air commentary, which includes Republicans Michael Deaver, Susan Molinari, Richard Bond, Bill Diefenderfer and Tony Fabrizio; and Democrats Jack Quinn, Tom Downey and Mark Penn. SpeakOut.com will use three survey techniques to analyze the data, all of which will be provided first for MSNBC exclusively, then released generally to the media. First, in the days preceding the debate, all Americans will be invited to state their candidate preferences at www.SpeakOut.com or through links at feedback.msnbc.com. A sample of those respondents will be invited back to a separate site after the debate to determine if their views have changed as a result of the interaction between the candidates. Second, a pre-selected group of registered voters in the city where the debate will be held will participate in a SpeakOut.com Real-Time Analyzer to measure their changing perceptions as they watch the debate live on MSNBC. Results from this group will be reported on MSNBC after the debate and available for analysis at SpeakOut.com. Third, all Internet users will be invited to visit www.SpeakOut.com after the debate to share their opinions about the candidate's performance. The results of this open, informal survey will be compared to other polls conducted after the debate to test various applications of Internet activism. About MSNBC MSNBC is a joint venture between NBC, a leading provider of news and information, and Microsoft, the leader in personal computer software and a major provider of Internet online services. Built on the worldwide resources of NBC News, MSNBC is a 24-hour cable news network and Internet news service at www.msnbc.com. About SpeakOut.com Based in Washington, DC, SpeakOut.com is a new, non-partisan Internet Activism web portal whose primary mission is to enhance the democratic process by enabling citizens to make a direct impact on the decisions that affect their lives. When launched officially in January 2000, SpeakOut.com users will enjoy a wide variety of news and information content tailored to their interests and activism tools allowing aggregated messaging to a vast array of public officeholders, candidates, business leaders and news executives. Contacts
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