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Samantha Hayes Reporting Just two weeks before the Presidential election one of the most heated debates may be in Utah. UVSC has booked controversial filmmaker Michael Moore, and now conservative talk show host Sean Hannity wants to up the ante and debate Moore on campus.
Sean Hannity, On KSL 1160: “I accept the challenge to debate Michael Moore in Salt Lake City before the election. I will find a date or number of dates to make that happen.”
Fightin' words out of the mouth of conservative talk show host Sean Hannity on KSL Radio 1160. The perhaps equally outspoken Michael Moore is coming to town in October to speak at UVSC, for $50,000, and Hannity is ready to take him to task.
Sean Hannity, On KSL 1160: “As wrong as he is, as thick headed as he is, as conspiratorial as he is, he has the right to say whatever he wants to say. But you know what? If you are taking in student dollars to say it then it becomes an issue."
Student Government leaders say they hope to book the speakers within the same time period and charge the public. But a debate may be out of the question because of contract and scheduling restrictions.
Sean Hannity, On KSL 1160: “If that debate happens, you don’t want to miss it.”
In an exclusive Survey USA poll for KSL-TV, 73% say it is important for colleges to invite speakers with differing views on current events. 61% think Utah Valley State College is obligated to invite another speaker to present an opposing view. And of the 500 hundred people contacted, 79% say they have seen Michael Moore's movie, Fahrenheit 9-11, or are at least familiar with what it is about.
Still, a little over half of you, 51%, think Michael Moore is an inappropriate choice to speak on a college campus.
Michael Moore is also hard to get a hold of. We tried to contact him through his agent several times this week, with no success. Sean Hannity says if there is a debate, he wants the public to vote on who wins, with the speaking fees to go toward a children's charity.
