CBS News, which is hosting vice presidential candidates J.D. Vance and Tim Walz in next week's third general election campaign debate, says it's up to politicians, not moderators, to fact-check their opponents. states.
The 90-minute debate is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday at the Manhattan studio where she once hosted the children's show “Captain Kangaroo,” and will feature outgoing “CBS Evening News” anchor Nora O'Donnell and the “Face the Nation” anchor will serve as hosts. Host: Margaret Brennan.
During ABC's debate between presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump earlier this month, the network's hosts called out Trump's inaccurate statements four times, but Harris did not make any. The former president and his supporters were furious and called it unfair.
Last spring, CNN host didn't ask Among the facts presented by President Trump and President Biden in the debate, Biden's poor performance ultimately led to his withdrawal from the race.
CBS said Friday that Mr. Vance and Mr. Walz have a responsibility to call out each other's false statements and that “the hosts will facilitate the opportunity to do so” during rebuttal time. The station announced that its own misinformation unit, CBS News Confirmed, will provide real-time fact-checking on air during debates and post-debate analysis on live blogs and social media.
With its plan, CBS News makes clear that it wants to take a step back from the heat generated by calling attention to misleading statements made by candidates. Some argue that off-stage fact-checking is too little, too late, and invisible to the many people watching the event.
It's not the first time
Angie Drodnick Horan, director of the International Fact-Checking Network at the Poynter Institute, said she has seen examples of moderators successfully urging candidates to be honest with their opponents.
“I’m curious to see how this works in practice,” she said. “Having said that, I don't think that would be ideal because it would basically shift one of the responsibilities of being a journalist onto the candidates themselves. The candidates would absolutely complain. “It takes courage as a journalist to be willing to fact-check a candidate. I don't think the primary purpose of a host is to avoid controversy.”
During the ABC debate, hosts David Muir and Lindsay Davis correct President Trump's statements about abortion, the 2020 election, crime statistics, and reports that immigrants in Ohio are cheating. did. eat pets.
Unlike the two presidential debates, both sides agreed not to turn off the vice presidential candidate's microphone while the other person was speaking, increasing the likelihood of genuine exchanges and reducing the risk of the two men arguing. It has increased. other. CBS says it reserves the right to block “hot mics” if necessary. Each candidate will have two minutes to make their final statement, and a virtual coin toss will result in Vance winning and choosing to say the last word.
The stakes are high for CBS News.
This is a big moment for CBS News, which has long languished in third place in evening news ratings. O'Donnell recently announced that he was stepping down from the role. Brennan is considered a rising star.
As with the presidential debates, CBS is making its feed available for telecast on other networks, and many networks are expected to take advantage of this opportunity.
Vance and Walz met without an audience at the West Side studio where “60 Minutes,'' “CBS Sunday Morning,'' “Inside the NFL,'' “Gerald'' and “Captain Kangaroo'' have been broadcast in the past. becomes. ”
It's unclear whether there will be any other opportunities to see Trump and Harris together on the same stage before the Nov. 5 election. Harris accepted an invitation from CNN for another debate on October 23, but Trump declined. In a Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this week, voters were more likely to say they wanted the two to face off again by a roughly 2-to-1 margin.
CBS' “60 Minutes'' is trying to get both Harris and Trump. continuous interview It is scheduled to air on October 7th, but neither candidate has committed to it yet.
