Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz are set to debate this Tuesday. Ahead of the Oct. 1 event, the broadcaster announced that moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will not fact-check either candidate — Walz and Vance will be responsible for fact-checking one another. The news prompted political scientist Norman Ornstein to lament that though CBS was once “the gold standard for television news,” both “those days and their standards are long gone.”
Ornstein isn’t the only voice objecting to CBS’ announcement, with the condemnation of their choice widespread on social media after CNN previously declined to fact-check candidates during the debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump earlier this year, followed by ABC opting to include brief fact-checks from moderators in the presidential debate between Trump and Kamala Harris.
According to CBS News’ editorial standards, the moderators are there to facilitate the conversation/debate between the candidates, as well as enforce the debate’s rules. However, they leave the responsibility to the candidates when it comes to fact-checking as part of the broadcast. CBS does plan to offer its own form of live fact-checking — but it will be online, rather than directly from the moderators, via its CBS News Confirmed Unit journalists in an online blog.
CBS does plan to offer its own form of live fact-checking — but it will be online, rather than directly from the moderators, via its CBS News Confirmed Unit journalists in an online blog.
So the attention of the viewer is divided or they don’t even know that there is an online live fact check.
Sounds more than fishy
At this point, refusing to fact-check a debate is just a tacit admission that you want to help the GOP. After all, JD Vance is on record saying he has no problem lying and making up things if he thinks it’s politically advantageous. Tim Walz shouldn’t have to cut into his time correcting the lies of an established liar. Why have journalists involved at all? Seems like it’d be cheaper to hire some bozo off the street to read the questions and only enforce time limits on the Democrat. You don’t need Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan to accomplish that.
I feel like Walz will be able to call Vance on whatever bullshit he’s peddling… but not having a neutral fact checker is a terrible idea.
And also Walz doesn’t need to be wasting all of his allotted time fact checking an admitted liar. Not a ton of actual “News” in this article, but several of the referenced comments were funny/made good points like that.
Time concerns aside, this will just make GOP say “they have their own idea of truth”. Which is correct but the causality is vice versa.
He says she says. What a way to run a debate. Terrible idea!
This is a requirement of modern right-populist politics. They won’t play defense, so they just say crap and you’re always chasing the latest nonsense and never get to make a point.
Of course the counter to this is for Walz to make this a non-stop couch-fucking roast from minute one. I’m talking opening statement is about upholstery, fabric texture, visualize choices for lubricant and material combos. Just go all in on the furniture abuse right away.
<Walks walks onto stage and goes to shake Vance’s hand> “Hey, how was the tour of Ashely Furniture? Sorry I couldn’t join you… Did you find any attractive couches?”
S L A M M E D
Hook each VP candidate nuts to a car battery and every time they lie hit them with the full voltage.
Simple as.
too low voltage, recommend 10 batteries in series
Slamalamadingdong!
Come on and slam! And welcome to the jam!
Truth is just an opinion. Whatever was said most eloquently and with more confidence was probably truer. There needn’t be any fact checking other than two people each saying a thing, the one who’s right will simply sound right to anyone, regardless of any pre-existing bias. /S
good.
You misspelled “bad”.
Removed by mod
What is wrong with you?
Oh boy, I just had to go rewatch that sketch lol… damn do I miss Key and Peele.
Yes, I agree. What is wrong with the quality of trolls? Their posts are so low-effort, and also reveal so much about their fragile mental state. On the plus side, it makes it easier to diagnose, block, and move on.
I’d prefer to not use the internet if people like Henry@lemmy.ca were the only posters left.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government, but like, choosing the best rapist is hardly an improvement.
