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Precis
The Doha Debates are chaired by the award-winning former BBC correspondent and interviewer Tim Sebastian, who founded them in 2004 and secured their editorial independence. The Doha Debates states that although the Debates are financed by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, no government, official body or broadcaster has any control over what is said at the sessions or who is invited. The debates focus on a single, controversial motion, with two speakers for and against. Once they have outlined their arguments, each speaker is questioned by the chairman and the discussion is then opened up to the audience for argument and a final electronic vote. The 350-strong audiences are drawn mainly from Qatar’s student body and come from all over the Arab and Islamic worlds. The Doha Debates are presented by TRNN as part of a content agreement.
