ABC News co-moderator David Muir dismisses criticism of the network's heavily biased debate as "noise," claiming that viewers should focus on the issues and ignore the post-debate controversies.
ABC News co-moderator David Muir has dismissed criticism of the network's heavily biased presidential debate as "noise," claiming that viewers should focus on the issues and ignore the post-debate controversies.
Muir, who moderated the debate alongside Linsey Davis, faced widespread criticism for the moderators' aggressive questioning of former President Donald Trump and their failure to challenge Democratic nominee Joe Biden's numerous false claims.
ABC's David Muir Dismisses Criticism of Unfair Presidential Debate
In an interview with "Live with Kelly and Mark," Muir dismissed the criticism as "noise" and urged viewers to ignore it.
"All of the noise that you hear afterward about, you know, 'Which candidate won the debate, did the moderators win or lose?'" Muir said. "That's just noise. You all know that. The most important thing to remember is you all have the power."
ABC's David Muir Dismisses Criticism of Unfair Presidential Debate
Critics have argued that the moderators' aggressive questioning of Trump and their failure to challenge Biden's false claims created an unfair and unbalanced debate. They have also pointed to the fact that ABC News hired former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile, who has a history of leaking debate questions to Democratic candidates, as a contributor.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Davis admitted that she and Muir had decided to focus on "fact-checking" Trump's statements, while ignoring Biden's false claims.
ABC's David Muir Dismisses Criticism of Unfair Presidential Debate
"People were concerned that statements were allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed by the candidate Biden, at the time, or the moderators," Davis said. Those "people" are Democrats."
Critics have argued that Davis's admission that she and Muir had decided to focus on "fact-checking" Trump's statements, while ignoring Biden's false claims, proves that the debate was unfair and biased. They have also pointed to the fact that ABC News hired former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile, who has a history of leaking debate questions to Democratic candidates, as a contributor.
In an interview with "This Week" host Martha Raddatz, Muir dismissed the criticism of the debate as "noise."
"I think the most important thing is that we had a debate that was substantive and that focused on the issues," Muir said. "I think that's what the American people want to see."
Critics have argued that Muir's dismissal of the criticism as "noise" shows that he is out of touch with the concerns of viewers. They have also pointed to the fact that ABC News hired former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile, who has a history of leaking debate questions to Democratic candidates, as a contributor.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Raddatz admitted that she and Muir had decided to focus on "fact-checking" Trump's statements, while ignoring Biden's false claims.
"We wanted to make sure that the facts were presented clearly and accurately," Raddatz said. "We also wanted to give the candidates an opportunity to respond to the facts."
Critics have argued that Raddatz's admission that she and Muir had decided to focus on "fact-checking" Trump's statements, while ignoring Biden's false claims, proves that the debate was unfair and biased. They have also pointed to the fact that ABC News hired former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile, who has a history of leaking debate questions to Democratic candidates, as a contributor.
