Quick Hit:

CBS News has claimed that moderators for tonight's vice presidential debate between Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will not attempt to fact-check the candidates in real-time, following backlash against ABC News for its biased fact-checking of former President during last month's presidential debate.

Key Details:

• CBS moderators Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan will reportedly focus on facilitating the debate, leaving fact-checking to the candidates themselves.

• The 90-minute debate will air live at 9 p.m. Eastern from a Manhattan studio and will feature rebuttals without microphones being muted, allowing for direct exchanges between Vance and Walz.

• ABC News recently faced criticism for wrongly challenging former President Donald Trump’s statements on rising violent crime during the Trump-Harris debate, despite DOJ data that supported Trump’s claims.

Diving Deeper:

CBS News has claimed that its moderators will not engage in real-time fact-checking during tonight’s vice presidential debate between Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Tim Walz. According to a report from the Associated Press, the moderators Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan, will instead allow the candidates to address each other's claims directly. This decision comes in the wake of widespread criticism following ABC News’ attempt to fact-check former President Donald Trump during his recent debate against Kamala Harris, a move that proved misguided when DOJ crime statistics validated Trump’s statements.

During the Trump-Harris debate, ABC News moderator David Muir attempted to challenge Trump’s assertion that violent crime had increased under the Biden-Harris administration, citing FBI data that suggested a decrease in crime. However, the Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) revealed a different picture. According to the NCVS, violent crime has surged, increasing from 5.6 per 1,000 people in 2020 to 8.7 per 1,000 in 2023. This included significant jumps in rape, robbery, and aggravated assault rates—directly supporting Trump’s debate claims.

CBS News, perhaps learning from the backlash ABC faced, will adopt a different approach. While moderators will not intervene to correct candidates, the network’s supposed misinformation unit, CBS News Confirmed, will provide real-time fact-checking through its live blog and social media channels during post-debate analysis. 

The upcoming debate between Vance and Walz will take place at a Manhattan studio, airing live at 9 p.m. Eastern without an audience. Unlike the presidential debates, the candidates’ microphones will remain on, allowing for more fluid rebuttals and back-and-forth exchanges. CBS has stated it reserves the right to mute microphones if the debate becomes disorderly, but the intention is to allow the candidates to confront each other without restrictions.