A forum with all candidates for Mayor of the City of Belleville will be held at Loyalist College on Tuesday, October 12 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Organized by the Media Studies Journalism faculty and students at the College, the forum agenda will be guided by community input. Individuals are encouraged to attend the event, and to take advantage of the opportunity to review the issues and to send questions or comments in advance by visiting http://vote.onlinedemocracy.ca. This input will shape the agenda for the October 12th debate.
“This is a unique opportunity for voters to participate directly by helping to set the agenda for the candidates’ response,” explained Professor Rob Washburn. “Anyone can come to the site and submit a question or identify an issue they feel is vital. The Journalism students will be combing the community seeking questions and issues to be posted. Candidates will be invited to respond. The students will use Twitter, Facebook and CoverItLive to leverage social media, enhancing the democratic experience. Our goal is to have people engage in democratic discourse using a wide range of media. Once again we are pleased to be working in partnership with the Belleville Intelligencer.”
“We’re thrilled to be partnered with Loyalist on this project,” said Bill Glisky, Intelligencer Managing Editor. “Loyalist has proven over the past years to be on the cutting edge and this initiative shows continuing advancement. We look forward to working closely with the students and the professors, and also to learning from them in the areas of social media and all forms of electronic journalism.”
The website, an election information portal, will provide a large number of resources for voters including information on polling stations, registration, voting trends and history. Daily summaries and links to important news stories will be provided, offering a central place where voters can obtain the necessary information to make their decision on election day. The candidates’ debate on October 12th at 7:00 p.m. will be broadcast live on 91X FM, the College community radio station. During the event listeners can also send in questions to be asked of each candidate by e-mail.
For more information, go to http://vote.onlinedemocracy.ca or contact Professor Rob Washburn, Professor in the Journalism – On-line, Print and Broadcast program at Loyalist College, at 613-969-1913, ext. 2157.
Media Contact: Marilyn Warren, Communications, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2332 or Professor Rob Washburn, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2157; vote.onlinedemocracy.ca