Tuesday night’s CBS News Vice Presidential Debate quickly turned into a firestorm when Republican nominee Senator J.D. Vance clashed with moderators over immigration and housing costs. What was supposed to be a serious exchange of ideas between Vance and Democratic candidate Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) instead devolved into a controversy about media bias—especially when CBS moderators Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell decided to play fact-check police in real time.
The flashpoint came when Vance pointed out that rising immigration levels were driving up housing prices, a claim that CBS moderators were very eager to challenge. Brennan interrupted Vance mid-sentence, attempting to shut him down by questioning the accuracy of his data. Naturally, Vance wasn’t having it. He doubled down, insisting that his claims were based on “hard data,” and even offered to provide sources on stage. This sparked a back-and-forth that eventually led to the CBS crew briefly cutting off the microphones—because nothing says “fair debate” like muting one of the participants.
The incident sparked outrage from Republicans and supporters of Vance, who saw the moderators’ actions as a blatant example of media bias. True to his word, Vance released the data supporting his argument the next day, pushing back against what he—and many viewers—felt was an attempt to discredit his position in front of a national audience.
Adding fuel to the fire, former CBS journalist Lara Logan came out swinging against her old employer. Logan, who spent 16 years at CBS as the Chief Foreign Correspondent and a 60 Minutes correspondent, tore into the network for its handling of the debate. “Hard to believe CBS could have fallen so low,” Logan tweeted, criticizing the network for what she saw as an intentional attempt to shield Kamala Harris from scrutiny while hammering Vance.
Hard to believe CBS could have fallen so low. I spent 16 years there, I was the Chief Foreign Correspondent, the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent & a full-time correspondent for 60 Minutes, the flagship news program for the network. I cannot believe they can try to get away… https://t.co/QyoIBWoeEj
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) October 2, 2024
Logan’s outrage wasn’t just about the immigration debate. She also took issue with CBS’s fact-check of Vance’s statement that Harris was the “border czar”—a claim the moderators called false. But as Logan and others pointed out, even CBS itself had previously reported on Harris being appointed by Biden to lead efforts on immigration at the southern border. So, why the sudden amnesia? Logan had an answer: protecting Harris from the political disaster that is the border crisis.
Logan’s criticism resonated with conservatives who feel that the mainstream media continuously targets Republican candidates while offering a free pass to Democrats. The fallout from the debate further widens the already gaping chasm between traditional media outlets and conservative candidates—echoing similar complaints from Republicans in earlier debates. As usual, the so-called “fact-checkers” seem to only show up when the facts don’t fit their narrative.
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