How the CNN debate moderators failed us all

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution articulates a seminal vision: a society in which the press operates unshackled, ensuring an electorate informed and equipped to engage in the most critical of civic duties—voting. As November 2024 dawns upon us, this vision beckons the American press to not just inform, to not just pose questions at a debate, but to also interrogate the participants and in turn elucidate.

The recent Biden-Trump presidential debate delivered a plethora of statements begging for the CNN moderators’ analytical acumen, as they were the proxies for the entire press corp; a role I believe they failed miserably. Anchored in foundational freedoms, the press spearheads the task of sifting through political discourse, separating fact from embellishment, and guiding citizens to make choices rooted in verity.

Former President Trump’s utterances on policy issues necessitated then and continue to necessitate now closer scrutiny — a scrutiny exemplified by the Associated Press’s comprehensive fact-checking report. https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-election-debate-trump-biden-577507522762aa10f6ee5be3a0ced2bb. From the insurrection of Jan. 6 to the justifications for environmental policies, the press, in the persona of the AP cross-examined the fabric of the former President’s claims. Too bad the CNN moderators didn’t undertake this task in real time!

The American press must correct misrepresentations and ensure the public can make informed choices

1. Capitol Attack: Trump’s claim, trivializing the January 6 insurrection as “a protest blown out of proportion by the media,” conflicts starkly with the documented violence and chaos that ensued, marking it as a blight on democratic principles.

2. Tax Cuts and Economy: The former President’s proclamation of enacting “the largest tax cuts in history” fails to align with historical data. The 2017 tax cuts, while significant, do not stand as the largest in terms of GDP proportions or economic impact.

3. Environmental Policies: Trump’s assertions on environmental triumphs are contradicted by data delineating deteriorating air quality metrics within his term, a deviation from longstanding trends toward environmental betterment.

4. The Pandemic Response: The assertion of widespread advocacy for masks and proactive measures by Trump is belied by public records demonstrating a notable hesitancy and inconsistency on these very preventive tenets at the time.

5. On Abortion: Perhaps the most incendiary comment by Trump was the charge against his opponents for purportedly endorsing policies that permit “the killing of babies after birth.” This statement misconstrues the nuanced legal landscape surrounding abortion and is fundamentally contradicted by both the letter of the law and medical protocols, as well as the Hippocratic Oath all physicians must obey.

The American press has a duty to ably navigate the currents of election-year journalism

These examples underscore the onerous, yet critical burden shouldered by the press. It underscores not as an optional endeavor, but as a cornerstone of democratic functionality. As the echo chamber of political debate resonates with contentious claims, it is incumbent upon media custodians to uphold the foundational quest for truth.

In the afterglow of the debate and in the face of former President Trump’s controversial statements, the press needs to renew and reinforce its role as the vanguard of veracity at all times, but especially during a debate, as most newsrooms, and especially well-funded media have access to fact-checking tools 24-7. Post-debate, the press embarked upon the task of dissecting statements like “I always pushed for mask-wearing and proactive measures against COVID-19,” a claim sharply at odds with recollections of a leadership that often appeared to downplay the pandemic’s severity. This and Trump’s other misstatements of fact should have been fact-checked by CNN in real time and not left solely for President Biden to retort. I say, even if President Biden had responded to each and every one of the misstatements of fact; he would have done so in the furtherance of his agenda. The American press carries the burden of acting solely for the good of the American public.

Moreover, the AP’s report that examined the debate brought to light several distortions. When Trump alluded to having overseen “the cleanest air and water in history,” a fact notably in conflict with statistics, the press was quick to highlight the discrepancies, after the fact.

Critical too are the clarifications provided on Trump’s positions on abortion. His statements flew in the face of extensive documentation affirming that while abortion laws do permit late-term procedures under specific circumstances, they unequivocally prohibit the egregious acts his language stated, acts that if undertaken would be murder.

This clarifying and corrective role of the press is not a mere luxury but a bedrock necessity, particularly when what is at stake is nothing less than the integrity of the electoral process. As the dials of political narrative oscillate with claims of grandeur and accusations, the solemn duty beckons the American press to act as the steward of fact, the illuminator of authenticity, and ultimately, the sentinel of an enlightened electorate – during a debate, not just afterwards.

The American press, as this election year rises to a crescendo, must not only navigate but also narrate the turbulent seas of discourse, charting a course for a populous that must seriously undertake our franchise armed with fact and impervious to fiction. It’s too bad CNN did not rise to the occasion -- during the debate or after.

So, while the press is now sitting in judgement over who it believes won or lost the showmanship aspects of the debate; in actuality, it was we, the American public, who lost the opportunity to witness a meaningful and substantive debate.