First Presidential Debate: Outlets Differ on CNN’s Moderation

The first presidential debate was moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. The debate drew many reactions, including criticism and praise of the moderation and debate rules.

Praise for the moderators tended to come from the right, and criticism came from all sides of the political spectrum.

Related: Is CNN Fake News?

Praise of the Moderators

Elon Musk complimented the moderators stating that CNN “did a good job managing the debate. Questions were reasonable and non-partisan. No favoritism was shown to either candidate. This is what the public wants from the media."

Writer Isaac Schorr (Lean Right) also said “Tapper and Bash have been really good.”

Fox News anchor Sean Hannity also praised CNN: “In fairness to fake news CNN, Fake Jake, and Fake Dana, they put aside their prejudice, their hatred towards Donald Trump for the night, and they actually asked questions and waited for answers.”

Criticism of the Moderators

A writer for Associated Press (Lean Left) stated the moderators' questions were ignored by the candidates to the point that "it almost didn’t matter that Dana Bash and Jake Tapper were on stage." 

Similarly, The Daily Beast (Left) critiqued the moderators for not doing enough. “Neither moderator offered much in the way of follow-up questions or any fact checks for either candidate.”

The Federalist (Right bias) ran the headline “CNN’s Jake Tapper Pressing Trump About Jan. 6 Is Peak CNN” – and further argued that many polls show it's not a top issue for many voters. “The network became the go-to outlet for Democrats to spread conspiracies surrounding the isolated episode of right-wing violence.”

Further, The Federalist critiqued CNN and moderator Jake Tapper for not mentioning Trump’s tweet on January 6, 2021, when he asked demonstrators to “remain peaceful.”

NPR (Lean Left bias) argued in its coverage that CNN’s moderation “allowed Trump to spread falsehoods and hyperbole without being interrupted or corrected.” It continued, stating "[CNN's moderation] had the effect of making Trump seem more sedate than usual.”

Did the Moderators Help Trump?

Commentator Megyn Kelly (Right) said that the moderation rules could help Trump by giving the moderators “an excuse to rein in his behavior.” She also criticsized the debate rules, such as muting the microphones of the candidates when they went over the allotted speaking time. “They don’t need to be treated like schoolchildren. Why are we behaving or pretending like they’re preschool children?” she said. 

Journalist Glenn Greenwald (Center) predicted that “Democrats are 100% going to blame CNN and the moderators for what happened here.”
 

Written by Bias Research Manager and Data Journalist Andrew Weinzierl(Lean Left bias) and Bridging and Bias Specialist Clare Ashcraft (Center Bias).
Reviewed by News & Bias Assistant, Johnathon Held (Lean Right bias), News Assistant, Malayna J. Bizier (Right bias)