The fallout from the first 2024 presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump has pivoted to sharp criticism of CNN’s handling of the event, with accusations mounting that the network failed to challenge Trump’s barrage of falsehoods.
Critics are leveling strong allegations against CNN hosts Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, accusing them of abdicating their responsibility to fact-check and hold Trump accountable during the debate. As noted by Washington Post’s Jeremy Barr, Trump unleashed a torrent of lies on various topics, ranging from the economy to healthcare, without facing any substantial pushback from the moderators.
Instead of challenging Trump’s misrepresentations, Bash and Tapper reportedly focused predominantly on time management, allowing Trump’s unchecked claims to dominate the discourse. Even egregious assertions, such as Trump’s baseless remarks about post-birth abortions, were left uncorrected, drawing widespread condemnation from observers across social media and journalistic circles.
Kate Smith, a senior director at Planned Parenthood, took to social media to express dismay, questioning why CNN failed to intervene when Trump spread misinformation on critical healthcare issues. NBC News contributor Anthony Coley echoed these sentiments, describing the absence of real-time fact-checking as a fundamental failure of the debate moderation.
“How are none of the moderators fact checking this post birth abortion nonsense?? That was a dumpster fire,” Smith wrote on X.
Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross didn’t hold back in her critique, labeling CNN’s decision not to fact-check Trump’s statements as a serious misstep. The network had previously justified its approach, suggesting that real-time fact-checking wasn’t feasible in a live debate setting. However, the backlash suggests that many viewers and analysts expected more rigorous accountability from CNN in such a high-stakes event.
Despite CNN’s efforts to maintain focus on the candidates, their handling of the debate has sparked significant controversy, with accusations that the network prioritized format over journalistic rigor. As the Washington Post observed, CNN’s moderation strategy has been widely perceived as a missed opportunity to uphold truthfulness and integrity in public discourse, raising questions about the network’s role in facilitating misinformation on a national platform.
