Open to Debate Wins More Awards for Bipartisan Debate Programs Addressing Ukraine, Abortion, and More
Telly and NY Radio Awards—plus founder Robert Rosenkranz in the TIME100 Philanthropy—following recent Webbys/Gracies honors
Open to Debate, the nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization, has been honored by three different organizations in the last couple weeks for its debate programs restoring civil discourse to the public square.
TIME magazine named founder Robert Rosenkranz to the TIME100 Philanthropy 2025 list, noting that “appetite for the program’s nonpartisan high-profile debates surged last year.” It cited the hot-button debate “Were Israel’s Actions in the Gaza War Justified?” between former Israeli spokesperson Eylon Levy and journalist Mehdi Hasan, which has been viewed millions of times already. It also noted the program’s impactful June 2024 study “Discourse Correction: What’s wrong with the presidential debates, and how to fix them,” which was discussed in Politico, on CNN, and beyond. Rosenkranz just published the acclaimed book The Stoic Capitalist, which he recently discussed on the Open to Debate podcast.
The organization has also continued its recent streak of award wins. Open to Debate recently won six Telly Awards for video and television programming. It won Bronze Awards in the categories “Public Interest & Awareness” and “Not-for-profit” and awards for three different debates: “Should Congress Stop Funding the War in Ukraine?,” “Were Israel’s Actions in the Gaza War Justified?” (two awards), and “Should the Courts Restrict Access to the Abortion Pill?” just last week, the organization netted yet another award won a New York Radio Festival Award for the non-debate episode “How to Resolve Conflict in Relationships with Esther Perel.”
Those awards come on the heels of a recent Webby nomination for the episode “Should the Courts Restrict Access to the Abortion Pill?” and a Gracie Awards win for the episode “Should We Address the Gender Wage Gap?” this spring. Pictured above are CEO Clea Conner and Chief Content Officer Lia Matthow attending the Gracie Awards ceremony last week.
Other recent debate episodes include “Is Trump Good for Israel?,” “Can the U.S. Outpace China in AI Through Chip Controls?,” and “Should the U.S. Prioritize Settling Mars?” All Open to Debate episodes are freely available at opentodebate.org, YouTube, and all podcast platforms.
ABOUT OPEN TO DEBATE
Open to Debate addresses a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. We are the nation’s only nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization dedicated to bringing multiple viewpoints together for a constructive, balanced, respectful exchange of ideas. Open to Debate is a platform for intellectually curious and open-minded people to engage with others holding opposing views on complex issues. We know debate works to find common ground: On average, 32% of the Open to Debate audience changes their mind on contentious topics after hearing a debate. That’s the power of debate done right, and at scale, it can change the direction we’re headed in America. Open to Debate is broadcast as a weekly public radio program, carried on NPR stations including WNYC (#1 in the nation). Open to Debate is made available as a podcast, video series, and digital platform, and records episodes with live audiences nationwide. Visit opentodebate.org to become a member, access an archive of more than 220 debates, and attend live events.
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For more information on Open to Debate, please contact Ray Padgett (raypadgett@shorefire.com) or Mark Satlof (msatlof@shorefire.com) at Shore Fire Media.