The Bias and Fact Checking in the Presidential Debate: Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump

During the recent presidential debate, questions emerged about whether ABC News was biased against Kamala Harris. However, it is important to note that the debate emphasized transparency and accountability, with both candidates facing scrutiny from the audience and the press. Here's a closer look at the debate context and the accusations of bias.

Debate Context and Accusations of Bias

Throughout the debate, Kamala Harris stood up effectively for herself, addressing Trump's unfounded claims with facts. Harris did not require extensive fact-checking as most of her statements were accurate. In contrast, Trump frequently made false claims, which required fact-checking to correct the narrative. The NPR article highlights how Trump's constant lies were not challenged in the same manner as Harris's assertions.

For instance, Trump claimed that Kamala Harris recently became Black, referencing her membership in a black sorority at a black college. A simple Google search would have easily disproved this claim. Similarly, his statements about dogs and cats were baseless, requiring basic research to debunk. These examples demonstrate the need for Trump to do minimal research before making unfounded claims.

Fairness and Fact Checking

During the debate, Trump was allowed to run over topics without interruption, making random claims and assaults against Harris. Simultaneously, Harris was sternly questioned on complex issues such as solving the Palestine/Israel conflict in just two minutes. This imbalance highlights the fact that the debate aimed to challenge both candidates equally rather than single out Harris.

Several steps were taken to maintain fairness:

When Trump claimed that crime had increased, ABC News fact-checked this claim, which had been debunked extensively since the first time he made the claim. Broadcasts corrected misinformation about the eating of pets by Haitian migrants, which was found to be false and baseless. ABC News avoided losing credibility by accurately reporting information and ensuring that the viewing public was not misled by Trump's false claims.

Policy Discussion: Economy and Immigration

Economy: Trump raised concerns about high inflation, reaching a 4-decade high of 9.1% in 2022, while Harris highlighted unemployment rates during the pandemic, indicating that while unemployment had fallen, it remained elevated.

Immigration: Trump criticized Harris and Biden's immigration policies, claiming that they failed to control immigration and violence. Harris, however, pointed out that crime rates had significantly decreased nationwide, and research showed that immigrants were less likely to be incarcerated. Furthermore, Trump's claims about Haitian migrants eating pets were debunked, as local police declared the allegations baseless.

Elections and Voter Franchise: Trump questioned the legitimacy of non-citizen voting, but fact-checks revealed that there was almost no evidence of such occurrences. The emphasis on voter ID checks and registration processes ensured that any instance of non-citizen voting was detected and punished.

Conclusion

The recent presidential debate highlighted The Bias and Fact Checking in the Presidential Debate: Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump. While there were accusations of political bias, the integrity of news organizations like ABC News and journalists' responsibility to fact-check remain crucial. The debate underscores the importance of accurate reporting and the need for both candidates to provide factual information, rather than relying on baseless claims to fuel political narratives.