Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) went on CNN called out the network and co-debate moderator Dana Bash for doing no fact checking.
Clyburn said to Bash on CNN’s State Of The Union, “I don’t like a debate where nobody will do any fact checking. You just say what you want to say. You know, it’s a lie. The guy told 30 some odd lies and nobody checked him on it and said that was up to Joe Biden to do. I’m not too sure. If I ask you a question and you lied to me with the answer. I ought to follow up and give you what the facts are and see what your reaction to that would be. So that, to me was not the way to plan the debate.”
Bash’s response was a true by slightly disingenuous statement that the debate was Biden’s idea, which is accurate, but it was CNN that decided that the moderators would do no fact checking.
The roles of Bash and Jake Tapper at the debate could be filled as equally well by a couple of elementary school kids with good reading skills and the ability to tell time.
The moderators were useless at the debate. Most of the time when Trump evaded questions or told obvious lies, Bash and Tapper did nothing.
Doing nothing while a political leader is the lying to the country is the opposite of the job of journalism, and if debate moderators aren’t going to act like journalists, why not let debates be moderated by anyone? A daytime talk show host could moderate a debate. The Manning brothers could hold a special Manning Cast on ESPN and moderate a Biden/Trump debate.
If journalists aren’t going to do their jobs then there is no point in having them serve as debate moderators. Rep. Clyburn was correct. Biden’s debate prep needs to change but also how the debates are moderated needs to change, because what happened on CNN is bad for democracy.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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