Major Networks Weigh Airing Trump's Prime-Time 2020 Election Address as White House Seeks Thursday Slot
Updated
Updated · Poynter · Jul 15
Major Networks Weigh Airing Trump's Prime-Time 2020 Election Address as White House Seeks Thursday Slot
3 articles · Updated · Poynter · Jul 15
Summary
ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News and MS NOW had not decided by Tuesday evening whether to carry Donald Trump’s Thursday prime-time address live.
Trump indicated the speech will cover “election machines and election integrity,” and the Washington Post reported he may revive unproven 2020 claims involving China and Venezuela.
The White House had not yet formally requested airtime by late Tuesday morning, while press secretary Karoline Leavitt said speculation about the speech’s contents was premature.
The dilemma for networks is whether airing a presidential address live would amplify baseless election misinformation, or whether they should instead report and fact-check the remarks afterward.
The dispute extends a yearslong media struggle over covering Trump, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arguing networks have an ethical duty not to broadcast false claims undermining elections.