ABC News anchor Linsey Davis admitted that her fact-checking of President Trump during the recent debate was influenced by the poor performance of Joe Biden in the June CNN debate. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Davis acknowledged concerns that during that earlier debate, Biden’s statements were not adequately challenged by either moderators or Trump. This led her to adopt a more aggressive stance toward Trump, aiming to avoid leaving his comments uncorrected. Here’s the thing though…it’s not their job to fact-check.
Davis’ admission came after both she and co-moderator David Muir faced sharp criticism for repeatedly fact-checking Trump but not Kamala Harris. Throughout the debate, Davis fact-checked Trump five times but failed to challenge any of Harris’ statements. Trump and his supporters accused the moderators of bias, with the former president calling the event a “rigged deal” on Fox & Friends, saying it was “three to one” against him.
One moment that sparked a backlash was when Davis sternly told Trump that “there is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born,” in response to his mention of former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s controversial 2019 remarks on late-term abortions. While liberals celebrated the moment, a pro-life group criticized ABC News, demanding a correction and calling Davis’ comment “100% inaccurate.”
Davis explained her actions, citing that she and Muir prepared extensively for the debate by reviewing hours of campaign rallies and interviews. She claimed that the fact-checks were necessary to counter the “most egregious statements” from the candidates. However, Davis also admitted that they couldn’t catch every false claim. Despite the clear imbalance, she downplayed accusations of favoritism toward Harris, saying that moderators simply can’t fact-check every misstatement in real-time. Well, if that’s the case, then they shouldn’t do it at all.
The Los Angeles Times praised Davis in their profile, referring to her as a “rising star” who held Trump “accountable” during the debate. Yet, the outlet also acknowledged that Davis ignored the ongoing social media criticism, choosing instead to deactivate her accounts. In the interview, Davis noted the challenges she faces in maintaining an unbiased approach, especially with anonymous online commentators questioning her impartiality.
This debate moderation controversy has only added fuel to the ongoing accusations of media bias, further polarizing public opinion about the role of moderators in shaping debate narratives.
Leave a Comment