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Introduction: Presidential Campaign Debates in a Changing Media Environment Edward A. Hinck Debates are important events in presidential campaigns. Drawing some of the largest audiences, they provide an opportunity for voters to see the can- didates argue about the issues and defend their campaign ideas on stage.1 Debates also serve to renew democratic values by showing citizens how can- didates use argument to work out political differences and by demonstrating the candidates’ commitment to values of rational discourse.2 Debates have been shown to inform voters about the candidates’ positions on the issues and to reveal aspects of their character as political leaders that citizens might consider in formulating their decisions about whom to support. Despite the consensus view that debates rarely change voters’ minds, in close campaigns with undecided voters, debates can function as pivotal events in shaping campaign outcomes.3 This project began with three questions about debates: (1) How do debates produced by mainstream media create possibilities for public deliberation in a polarized political environment? (2) How do citizens consume presidential debates in new media forms (e.g., live tweeting, Facebook posts, political blogs, memes, video clips on YouTube)? (3) How do citizens produce mes- sages about debates in new media forums (e.g., live tweeting, Facebook posts, political blogs, memes, video clips on YouTube)? To understand the nature of change, the first question calls on traditional studies of candidates’ rhetorical and argument strategies to understand the strategic appeals of the candidates from their respective campaigns’ positions on the issues. To understand how those messages are used by citizens in a networked public sphere, the project called for studies of citizens’ use of new media when responding to candi- dates’ messages. What’s at stake is whether new media engenders political