How do you select Sourcebook Researchers? Sourcebook researchers are selected for maturity of thinking and research ability. We have a relatively stable core research group and each year consider a few applications, debaters we know, and authors of briefs we have seen. Researchers must have a strong dedication to ethical debate practice, know what makes evidence good (warrants!) and be capable of researching tougher-to-find materials like law journals and databases.
How long has Ethos been around? Since 2005, when Lisa Alexander and Isaiah McPeak first published a sourcebook under the title Purple Killer Bunnies. We had some sweet artwork with ninja bunnies, mafia bunnies, and so on. But we eventually changed our name to Ethos to represent the classical rhetoric roots we have in debate as well as our core product: providing credible support for arguments. In 2010 we incorporated as Ethos Publications LLC which is our parent organization for Ethos Debate, Ethos Communications, Ethos Consulting, and Ethos Apologetics.
Do you support Stoa or NCFCA? We support debate because it is a training activity that makes a huge difference in the lives of students. We have coached Stoa, NCFCA, CFL, NFL, NPDA, NEDA, NFA, British Parli, ACMA, AMTA, and little local leagues. We have our opinions about tournaments and league management, but those opinions are as diverse as our staff. Our goal is to promote students to think and learn while pursuing moral communication that builds the character and we can do that in any debate league.