Mediation: Facilitator Opening Statement and the Real Issue

Mediation: Facilitator Opening Statement and the Real Issue

In the process of mediation, the disagreement that brought the parties in may have an underlying issue that needs to be resolved before addressing the surface issue. It is after the intake, opening statement, and through facilitation where the underlying issue may be unveiled. It is important to be able to separate facts and opinion during this process.

In the articles below, both pieces have political undertones and both discuss certain operative facts that surround the story. Neither author asks to mediate their difference of opinions. However, some type of facilitation, between writers or even the editorial boards of each newspaper, might alter the outcome where the group agrees to a common set of facts.

For this assignment, please read the following two articles and then respond to the prompts in 1-2 paragraphs:

Phillips, A. (2017). The story of Debbie Wasserman Schultz and an indicted IT staffer that’s lighting up the right, explained (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/08/08/the-story-of-debbie-wasserman-schultz-and-an-it-staffer-thats-lighting-up-the-right/?utm_term=.ec8e1fa09b56

Strassel, K.A. (2017, August 3). The scandal that matters (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Retrieved from https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/08/04/democratic_it_mess_is_a_scandal_that_matters_417390.html

If you were asked to facilitate such a matter, what type of opening statement would you make? Keep in mind that this could possibly look like some type of debate or town hall meeting.