On the Sunday before the New Hampshire Republican primary, NBC’s David Gregory will host a live Republican debate that lets Facebook users participate in the event. The special Meet the Press will also stream live on Facebook, msnbc.com and NECN.com.
“While it’s been said that all politics is local, today it may be more accurate to say all politics is social,” said Gregory in a Facebook video. Adds Steve Capus, President of NBC News, “What really sets this partnership apart is that we are able to combine the reach of NBC’s audiences and Facebook’s users to connect with engaged, informed communities.”
While the debate isn’t until next year, users are already suggesting questions on the Meet the Press page, and NBC’s Chuck Todd held a live roundtable on Facebook’s own U.S. politics page on Monday to get the discussion rolling. NBC and Facebook will release more details leading up to February’s debate.
Next year’s campaign promises to be be the most social yet. After all, President Obama has already held Facebook, Twitter and YouTube town halls.
(Full disclosure: I work for msnbc.com, which is a joint venture with NBC News.)