So I asked my Post Opinion colleagues Eugene Robinson and Erik Wemple. Was the debate handled improperly?
Alexi McCammond: Did CNN make a mistake by not fact-checking the candidates?
Eugene Robinson: I think so. The idea of ​​Biden and Trump fact-checking each other makes me wonder whether that was a choice or an escape, a capitulation to the difficulty of fact-checking Trump in real time and how much of the debate would be spent correcting his lies.
Alexi: I think they abandoned their journalistic duty by not even refuting some of Trump’s demonstrably false claims, and normalized his falsehoods by responding, “Thank you, Mr. President.”
Eugene: As a result, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash left numerous exaggerations, misstatements, and outright lies uncorrected. This is not good journalism. Jake and Dana have walked out of their own accord. As a matter of principle, and in our own self-interest, we are unwilling to accept the idea of ​​active journalists being replaced by AI. …
Erik Wemple: Look, the reason we don’t have hosts fact-check is because they already have a tremendous amount of hosting responsibilities, and in the past when Trump has been onstage, it’s been a nearly impossible task. Plus, if the host was fact-checking on the spot, it could easily go wrong and ruin the whole station.
Eric: I think the question of whether it’s OK for media people to have Trump on live TV under any circumstances has yet to be resolved. The answer is still pretty much no. And it’s unfair to Biden to ask him to spend all his time fact-checking. It basically means he can’t talk about his policies or make his case. With Trump on the debate stage, there are no self-cleaning ovens.
Alexi: So what do the Democrats do now? With just weeks to go until their convention, the media is already questioning whether Biden should be the nominee.
Eugene: Frankly, this is going to be a major talking point over the next few days. Biden looked and sounded older. His voice was raspy, he had trouble articulating sentences, and there were a few times when he seemed totally lost and couldn’t finish a thought. I think the Democrats are going to panic, so I’m going to cover it.
Alexi: Is the panic justified?
Eric: There’s no doubt about it: Within 15 minutes of the debate starting, Democratic panic began on social media.
Eugene: It’s expected, the way he’s playing. And there’s no way around it. He can still reassure people. There’s still time. But the questions about his age and ability can’t be easily dismissed given what was, objectively, a very bad night.
Alexi: Do you think media coverage will change the future of racing?
Eric: No, it won’t. The media, especially cable news networks, are stuck in reportage mode. The Wall Street Journal did a big investigative piece on how Biden behaves behind closed doors and found him to be very soft-spoken and sometimes unfocused. The piece was panned. It might be worth a second read.
Eugene: It would be fine to send the president out for a few interviews — they don’t want this image of Biden to linger in the national consciousness for too long.
Alexi: What’s the craziest text message you’ve received about tonight’s debate?
Eugene: I’ve been getting a ton of emails from family and friends, and the common thread is that this is an embarrassment to the United States of America. On the one hand, we have a very bad human being who is a liar and a potential danger to the nation and the world. On the other hand, we have a man who seems too old and infirm to do this job.
Alexi: Any final thoughts? What responsibility do other networks have in terms of covering the debate?
Eric: For the next 10 weeks, refrain from wallowing in analysis.
Eugene: I found it an unsatisfactory debate, but I’m not sure it would have been more satisfying with a different moderator format or tactics. I felt the contrast in issues and temperament wasn’t fully displayed, but that may have been obscured by the apparent contrast in energy, and I can’t say it was CNN’s decision that caused it.
