Gwen Ifill is the moderator and managing editor of Washington Week on PBS. She has moderated debates in national elections, including the vice presidential debates in 2004 and 2008. She spent five years working at NBC News as a political correspondent, and has covered news and politics at The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Evening Sun, and The Boston Herald American. Ifill has also been a roundtable panelist on Meet the Press and is writing a book called The Breakthrough: Politics in the Age of Obama.PBS: Gwen Ifill

Ifill says she has gotten many suggestions for questions in the 2008 VP debate. She says her plan for the debate is to "ask questions that elicit answers instead of a spin."EURweb.com: Gwen Ifill Prepares for VP Debate Ifill broke her ankle just days before the face-off. She still plans to attend.The Hills Blog: Ifill Breaks Ankle But Still Plans to Moderate Veep Debate(September 30, 2008)

I always knew I wanted to be a journalist, and my first love was newspapers. But public broadcasting provides the best of both worlds - combining the depth of newspapering with the immediate impact of broadcast television. -- Gwen IfillPBS: Gwen Ifill

Ifill has been accused of being biased because of her upcoming book and her reaction to Palin's acceptance speech at the 2008 Republican Convention. Critics have expressed concern over her ability to moderate the debate fairly.Michelle Malkin: A Debate 'Moderator' In the Tank for Obama... (September 30, 2008)