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garoteDonald Trump and Joe Biden held "competing" town halls today, with Trump on NBC News and Joe on ABC News. They ran them simultaneously, so if you wanted to see one "live" you had to choose, or flip haphazardly between them. Was overlapping them a good idea, or a stupid one? I can't decide.
There's also something I'm feeling much more conflicted about: The conduct of the press, as represented by Savannah Guthrie as the moderator of Trump's event.
I watched Biden's event first, and that set the tone. The moderator introduced himself, introduced Joe, and after less than a minute of speaking he introduced the first audience member with their question. Joe gave exhaustive, technically detailed answers. The moderator only interrupted a few times, to ask for clarification. It was a whole lot of party platform exposition and nothing else, for about two hours since Biden lingered for a while to answer additional questions.
Then I tuned over to the Trump event. The moderator introduced herself, introduced Trump, and then interrogated him for ten minutes over exactly when he came down with COVID-19, how frequently he was tested, when he knew he was infected, whether he should wear a mask at rallies and official events, and whether that set a bad example for the American public. Then she spent five minutes asking him to publicly disavow white supremacists and "QAnon", then five more badgering him about his claims of widespread voter fraud. She interrupted him frequently, and challenged his statements constantly. The hour-long event was 1/3 over before she let the first audience member present a question.
To be clear: I don't feel any pity for Donald, nor do I feel he is being treated unfairly, since any sense of fairness was kicked away by Trump himself four years ago when he fell into the habit of pointing at the press box for his own events and calling the crew of reporters there "the real enemy."
But when a member of the press devours 1/3 of a candidate's airtime doing this... Aren't they doing more harm than good? Any undecided voter, perhaps unaware of Trump's personal mistreatment of the press, would compare these two events and come away as I did: Appalled at the unequal treatment. And perhaps believing that the American press itself is severely biased towards one political party.
Fox News: Stronghold of the Republican party. Every other network: Stronghold of the Democratic party?
As much as I'd like to believe that it's really "Republicans at Fox News versus sane impartial people everywhere else," these town halls do not make that case.
There's also something I'm feeling much more conflicted about: The conduct of the press, as represented by Savannah Guthrie as the moderator of Trump's event.
I watched Biden's event first, and that set the tone. The moderator introduced himself, introduced Joe, and after less than a minute of speaking he introduced the first audience member with their question. Joe gave exhaustive, technically detailed answers. The moderator only interrupted a few times, to ask for clarification. It was a whole lot of party platform exposition and nothing else, for about two hours since Biden lingered for a while to answer additional questions.
Then I tuned over to the Trump event. The moderator introduced herself, introduced Trump, and then interrogated him for ten minutes over exactly when he came down with COVID-19, how frequently he was tested, when he knew he was infected, whether he should wear a mask at rallies and official events, and whether that set a bad example for the American public. Then she spent five minutes asking him to publicly disavow white supremacists and "QAnon", then five more badgering him about his claims of widespread voter fraud. She interrupted him frequently, and challenged his statements constantly. The hour-long event was 1/3 over before she let the first audience member present a question.
To be clear: I don't feel any pity for Donald, nor do I feel he is being treated unfairly, since any sense of fairness was kicked away by Trump himself four years ago when he fell into the habit of pointing at the press box for his own events and calling the crew of reporters there "the real enemy."
But when a member of the press devours 1/3 of a candidate's airtime doing this... Aren't they doing more harm than good? Any undecided voter, perhaps unaware of Trump's personal mistreatment of the press, would compare these two events and come away as I did: Appalled at the unequal treatment. And perhaps believing that the American press itself is severely biased towards one political party.
Fox News: Stronghold of the Republican party. Every other network: Stronghold of the Democratic party?
As much as I'd like to believe that it's really "Republicans at Fox News versus sane impartial people everywhere else," these town halls do not make that case.
no subject
Date: 2020-10-16 01:59 pm (UTC)If Guthrie did and did so persistently then it is fine by my.
Also, the format of a townhall is not set in stone. It is not a debate that has pre-set rules (which Trump immediately ignored by the way). Each townhall is different from the other in terms of format, number of people participating, moderator, etc.
As far as the stronghold for the Democratic party - check how journalists from other networks drill democrats; with relentless follow up questioning and not allowing them to pivot. No softballs. The recent example that comes to mind is Pelosi on Wolf Blitzer.
The only network that it a stronghold of the democratic party is MSNBC.
no subject
Date: 2020-10-26 06:08 am (UTC)What I'm saying is, that town hall event is making that case.