Congratulations on being selected as a finalist for a position as a beat writer for CreateDebate 2008!  We are very excited (and humbled) by the quantity and quality of the applicants to join our team to cover the 2008 Election.  

Based on your application and writing samples submitted, you have been identified as a finalist for the positions available.  In order to help us better gauge your writing style, research abilities, and comfort with covering the upcoming election we'd like to have you participate in a "correspondent trial" by covering the Alaska Senatorial race found here:

http://www.createdebate.com/debate/show/1772

Ground Rules

To keep this as fair as possible for all finalists, we want each candidate to observe the following ground rules:

1. The trial will run from now until Midnight EDT Thursday, July 31st.
   
2. Each finalist can post up to 10 arguments in the debate above.  Feel free to post in other debates if you so desire although these will not be judged for the positions available.
   
3. Arguments should be limited to between 50 and 100 words per argument.
   
4. Arguments should be based on facts and backed up with supporting evidence by using the "Add Link or Embed Video" option on CreateDebate.
   
5. Writers will be judged 1/3 on their argument scores (via the CreateDebate voting process, which is open to the public), 1/3 by the top 10 CreateDebate users, and 1/3 by the CreateDebate Management team.
6. Participation in the trial is completely optional, although only candidates that participate will be eligible for hire.
7. Arguments should be as an objective journalist perspective, whereas we expect our users to be the "Op-Ed" contributors.
8. Any attempt to subvert the voting process by using multiple accounts, etc will result in disqualification. 

FAQ's

Many of you have asked the following questions in a variety of formats, so I want to make sure we address them so as to set common expectations.

1. How many beat writers are you hiring?  We are looking to hire between 3 and 4 beat writers to cover the upcoming election.
2. How will I be paid?  We will pay you on a monthly basis based on the quality and quantity of your posts up to a maximum of $1500 per month.  Payment will be made via check.
3. Is CreateDebate affilliated with any Political Action Committee or special interest group?  No, we are a completely independent startup with 4 employees.  Our goal is to provide a forum for people to debate topics they are interested in so they can make better decisions.  Who to vote for in the 2008 election is a very important decision that US Citizens will need to make in the near future and we want to provide them with as much factual information as possible so they can make an informed decision.
4. Will I be posting in already created debates or will I be able to create my own?  The debates we will want you to cover as a "Political Correspondent" are mainly going to be made in advance, although there will be some latitude to create additional debates based on the election.  You can definitely create debates about any topic that you'd like to as well on the main CreateDebate site, although payment will be only for those on the CD 2008 site.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Please also send me your CD username once you create one so we can ensure we keep track of who's who.  Thank you again for your interest in joining our team!

Best Regards,

Bryan Orme

Co-founder, CreateDebate