INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. DEBATES ANNOUNCE SPRING 2012 SEASON FOLLOWING FIVE YEARS OF MILESTONE GROWTH
Debaters Already Confirmed Include Malcolm Gladwell, Eli Pariser, Dr. Pamela Peeke, John Stossel, Jacob Weisberg and More
New Season Begins Jan. 10 In New York City
New York, NY, December 12, 2011--The influential public policy debate series Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) has announced its spring 2012 season beginning January 10 at NYU's Skirball Center. The new season will feature propositions on topics from college football to capitalism in China, from Palestine statehood to political discourse in the online age. Confirmed debaters include best-selling author and New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Pamela Peeke, MoveOn.org’s Eli Pariser, Fox News’ John Stossel, Slate Editor-in-Chief Jacob Weisberg and more. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin has been invited to participate and additional panelists will be announced soon.
Founded in New York City in 2006 by Robert Rosenkranz, IQ2US has grown into an internationally syndicated series heard and watched by millions through radio broadcast, TV syndication and live online stream. The series attracts some of the world's top thinkers- Paul Krugman, Karl Rove, Christopher Hitchens, Arianna Huffington, and Fareed Zakaria, to name just a few.
Here's how IQ2US has grown:
* Larger venues: Ticket demand is so great that the series has graduated to larger venues three times.
* Nationwide NPR audience: IQ2US has gone from broadcasting on 40 stations to 220+ and has become one of NPR’s most popular public affairs podcasts with over 120,000 monthly subscribers.
* TV syndication: Debates can be watched via telecast on PBS Channel Thirteen, WLIW, and NJTV. Debates from previous seasons also air on BBC World News, Bloomberg TV and in Chicago on WTTW.
* Expansion outside of New York: The series reaches thousands around the world via live online stream in partnership with Slate and Fora.tv. IQ2US hosted inaugural debates in Washington D.C. and Chicago recently.
In 2011, debates were featured in The New Yorker’s ‘Talk of the Town,’ The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and panelists appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show to discuss some of the series' timely propositions.
As a general election year approaches, Intelligence Squared U.S. is committed to providing an alternative to the toxically emotional and reflexively ideological elements of the 24-hour news cycle. The series strives to heighten public discourse with entertaining, provocative, original and honest Oxford-style debates.
John Donvan, correspondent for ABC News Nightline, is moderator of Intelligence Squared US debates. Dana Wolfe is the executive producer.
The IQ2US spring 2012 season will feature debates on the following motions (other panelists TBD):
January 10 - The UN should admit Palestine as a full member state
FOR: Mustafa Barghouthi, Daniel Levy
AGAINST: Dore Gold, Aaron David Miller
After 20 years of failed talks with Israel, can this plea to the international community be the only path left to a two-state solution, or have the Palestinians set the peace process back by bypassing negotiations?
February 7- Obesity is the government’s business
FOR: Dr. Pamela Peeke, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin (Invited)
AGAINST: Paul Campos, John Stossel
Obesity costs our health care system nearly $150 billion a year and is a major risk factor for expensive, chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Should the government intervene, or is this a matter of individual rights and personal responsibility?
March 13 - China does capitalism better than America
FOR: Orville Schell, Peter Schiff
AGAINST: Ian Bremmer, Minxin Pei
For all appearances, China has emerged unscathed from the global economic crisis, in stark contrast to its biggest debtor, America. China’s admirers point to its ability to mobilize state resources, quick decision-making and business-friendly environment as reasons for its economic ascendency. Will the American model of innovation and free-markets prevail?
April 17 - When it comes to politics, the Internet is closing our minds
FOR: Lawrence Lessig, Eli Pariser
AGAINST: Evgeny Morozov, Jacob Weisberg
Does the Internet poison politics? It’s been argued that the rise of “personalization,” the use of algorithms to filter what you see online, and easy access to the like-minded, has served to reinforce our pre-conceptions. Is the rise of social media really broadening our worldviews, or narrowing them?
May 8 - Ban college football
FOR: Malcolm Gladwell, TBD
AGAINST: Tim Green, TBD
Corruption and a growing concern for head injury have put college football in the spotlight. Are football programs’ millions in profits exploitation? Or are they still a celebration of amateur sport? Does football’s inherent danger and violence have any place in institutions of higher learning? Or does it provide young men with educational opportunities they would not otherwise have?
To view transcripts and videos, download audio or video clips or learn more about Intelligence Squared U.S. please visit:
http://www.intelligencesquaredus.org
ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED DEBATES (IQ2US)
Rethink your point of view with Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US), Oxford-style debates live from New York City.
Based on the highly successful debate program based in London, Intelligence Squared, Intelligence Squared U.S. has presented over 50 debates on a wide range of provocative and timely topics. From global warming and the financial crisis, to Afghanistan/Pakistan and the death of mainstream media, Intelligence Squared U.S. brings together the world’s leading authorities on the day’s most important issues.
Since its inception in 2006, the goals of The Intelligence Squared U.S. Foundation have been to provide a new forum for intelligent discussion, grounded in facts and informed by reasoned analysis; to transcend the toxically emotional and the reflexively ideological; and to encourage recognition that the opposing side has intellectually respectable views.
The Rosenkranz Foundation initiated the Intelligence Squared U.S. Debate Series and continues to provide major support.
Press Contacts:
Andy Silva
718.522.7171
asilva@shorefire.com
Matt Hanks
718.522.7171
mhanks@shorefire.com
Mark Satlof
718.522.7171
msatlof@shorefire.com
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