President Donald Trump’s recent speech sparked a debate among TV networks on how to balance coverage with fact-checking and potential falsehoods. The president threatened sanctions against networks that did not air his speech live, calling them “fake news” and suggesting they should be sanctioned for their editorial decisions.
Coverage and Fact-Checking
Despite the threats, many networks chose not to air the speech live, instead opting for real-time fact-checking and analysis. CNN, for example, did not air the speech live, with anchor Kaitlan Collins citing the president’s “well-documented history” of falsehoods. Fox News and Fox Broadcasting, on the other hand, aired the speech live.
Other networks, such as ABC and NBC, chose not to air the speech live, but provided live coverage on their streaming channels. CBS aired a special report that joined the live speech a few minutes in and left it before the end.
Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture, argued that full coverage of the speech was necessary, even if it contained falsehoods. “When the president of the United States makes an announcement that there is going to be a major speech with major information, however cynical we are … I think that is, by definition, important civic news significant to the citizenry,” he said.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
