Vance, Walz Must Fact-Check Each Other In Debate: CBS News

CBS News, which will host vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz for the third debate of the general election campaign next week, announced that it will be up to the politicians — not the moderators — to fact-check their opponents, David Bauder reported for the Associated Press (AP).

CBS stated that Vance and Walz would need to identify any inaccuracies from the other candidate, with the moderators facilitating those moments during rebuttals. I Photo: Gage Skidmore Flickr

The 90-minute debate, set for 9 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday (Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Manila) in a Manhattan studio, will be moderated by outgoing “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan.

During ABC’s debate between presidential contenders Kamala Harris and Donald Trump earlier this month, moderators pointed out inaccuracies in Trump’s statements four times, while none of Harris’s claims were flagged.

This led to outrage from the former president and his supporters, who deemed it unfair.

In contrast, during a debate last spring on CNN, moderators did not challenge any facts presented by Trump or President Joe Biden, whose poor performance eventually led to him dropping out of the race.

CBS stated that Vance and Walz would need to identify any inaccuracies from the other candidate, with the moderators facilitating those moments during rebuttals. Additionally, CBS's misinformation unit, CBS News Confirmed, will offer real-time fact-checking on its live blog, on social media, and during post-debate analysis.