Fox News and Google are expected to announce plans on Thursday to host a Republican presidential debate in Florida on September 22, The Huffington Post has learned.
The forum will be moderated by network anchor Bret Baier. Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace and anchor Megyn Kelly will be panelists at the event.
Fox News has presented two debates already this election season. The first took place in South Carolina in May and the second was held in Iowa last month.
The upcoming Fox News-Google debate is expected to incorporate an interactive element. HuffPost has learned that viewers will be able to participate by submitting questions through YouTube and Fox News. They will also have the ability to vote on questions they would like to see the candidates answer.
UPDATE (11:33 a.m. ET): Below, full text of the debate announcement released on Thursday.
FOX News and Google announced today that they will present a presidential debate on September 22nd from 9:00-11:00 PM/ET in Orlando, Florida, in conjunction with the Republican Party of Florida.
In making the joint announcement, Michael Clemente, Senior Vice President of News Editorial, FOX News, said, “For access to news and information, it’s hard to imagine two more powerful brands than FOX News and Google, which is why we are proud to partner with a leader in global technology. The strength and reach of both should ensure a thorough and engaging debate that anyone can participate in.”
Moderated by Special Report anchor Bret Baier with panelists Chris Wallace, host of FOX News Sunday and Megyn Kelly, anchor of America Live, the debate will incorporate video and text questions submitted by the public on YouTube.com/FOXNews. Viewers will be able to vote on the questions they want the candidates to answer, and FOX News will use the votes to help choose which questions are posed to the candidates. In addition, FOX News and Google will present public data and Google search trends on air to help provide context to the questions and inform the debate throughout the evening.
Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics for YouTube, said, "We're delighted to give voters across the country this opportunity to ask their questions of the GOP candidates. Through this joint debate with FOX News we hope to bring more voices into the arena to create an informed and lively dialogue about the future of our country."
The FOX News/Google debate will be presented live from the Orange County Convention Center on FOX News Channel (FNC) and live-streamed on YouTube.com/FOXNews, in addition to FOX News Radio, FOX News Mobile, and FOXNews.com.
About FOX News
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. A top five cable network, FNC has been the most watched news channel in the country for nearly ten years and according to Public Policy Polling, is the most trusted television news source in the country. Owned by News Corp., FNC is available in more than 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.
