CNN recently held a town hall with former President Donald Trump where they allowed him to spew lies and misinformation for 70 minutes without any real-time fact-checking. Yes, you read that right—70 minutes of uninterrupted Trump nonsense. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, except the train was made of lies, and the tracks were greased with the tears of fact-checkers.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, who was tasked with running this circus, tried her best to fact-check Trump’s claims in real time, but she was as ineffective as a screen door on a submarine. Trump simply ignored her attempts to correct his lies and continued to ramble on like a drunk uncle at Thanksgiving dinner.
The audience of Republicans and independents clapped and laughed at Trump’s jokes, including his comments about the January 6 riot and the 2020 election. It was like watching a comedy show, except the jokes were lies, and the audience was filled with people who still thought Trump won the election.
CNN has defended its decision to hold a town hall, saying it was an opportunity to bring Trump to a wider audience. But let’s be real here—this wasn’t a town hall, it was a Trump rally. The network gave him a platform to spread lies and misinformation, and they did little to stop him.
The backlash against CNN was swift and fierce. Critics accused the network of failing to fact-check Trump in real time and allowing him to spread misinformation to a national audience. Some even called on CNN to apologize for the town hall and to fact-check Trump’s statements in real time in future appearances.
CNN’s failure to fact-check in real time is a serious problem. It’s one thing to give a politician a platform to speak, but it’s another to allow them to spread lies and misinformation with impunity. The media has a responsibility to hold politicians accountable and fact-check their statements in real time. If they don’t, they risk becoming complicit in spreading misinformation.
