Presidential debates bow to media coverage.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Brief article

Presidential debates offer viewers a lot of substance about the issues of the campaign, but postdebate media coverage can undermine the value they have for voters, suggests a study from Ohio State University, Columbus.

Framing the debate as a competition leads viewers to think less about policy issues, while coverage that focuses on the substance of the discussion increases the likelihood that viewers will come away with specific thoughts about candidates and policy proposals.

"With the level of substance in the debates, there is some hope that this could be a positive moment in which people really engage in the important questions of policy," relates Ray Pingree, lead author of the study and assistant professor of communication.

However, whether viewers actually do that depends a lot on the media coverage. "The media has a strong influence on whether viewers think of the debate in terms of a discussion of the issues or simply as a competition between the candidates. We need the media to treat the content of the debates more seriously. Viewers want to hear how their vote choice connects to real problems...