Petition drive: Boot Brokaw

The event takes place at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee at 9pm. Channel 6 and ABC News will have live coverage.

The group that is sponsoring the petition drive is led by former TV news producer-turned activist Jon Duffey. It claims to have secured 2,100 petitions so far. They have been submitted to the Commission on Presidential Debates. Here is an excerpt from Duffey's letter:

"Attached, you will find a petition with 2,100 signatures calling for the removal of Tom Brokaw as moderator of the town hall program in Nashville next week."

"If moderator replacement is impossible, because of the limited time, I urge you to use this effort as a way to pressure Mr. Brokaw to avoid exhibiting his pro-GOP favoritism."

Duffey wrote on his petition website that he does not expect Brokaw to be replaced but hopes to pressure the newsman to be fairer tonight in Nashville.

Brokaw took over as interim moderator of NBC's Meet the Press after the death of Tim Russert. Duffey claims Brokaw has exhibited pro-GOP biases since taking over the show. Duffey also claims Brokaw has a "personal relationship" with Senator McCain.

Here is a link to the petition drive:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/boot-brokaw-as-debate-moderator

PBS's Gwen Ifill moderated the vice presidential debate between Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden on October 2. Some conservatives had suggested Ifill would be biased because she has written a book about race and politics that focuses on Senator Barack Obama's historic presidential campaign - and therefore would have an economic interest in seeing Obama win. Here is a link to a story on that controversy:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/10/uproar-grows-ov.html