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the kicker

Red, Blue, and Grey’s Anatomy

9:05 – We’re watching the presidential debate on CNN, which includes an “Audience Reaction” meter as a permanent chyron on the screen. Per the Reaction-o-Meter, one...
September 26, 2008

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9:05 – We’re watching the presidential debate on CNN, which includes an “Audience Reaction” meter as a permanent chyron on the screen. Per the Reaction-o-Meter, one can track Republican, Democratic, and Independent reaction to the proceedings–via the dips and climbs of red, blue, and green lines, respectively. You can’t help but think of a heart monitor…and, so far, the candidates are flat-lining. Oh, wait: except when Jim Lehrer talks, in which case the lines actually seem to dip.

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Megan Garber is an assistant editor at the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University. She was formerly a CJR staff writer.