CLEVELAND — Ahead of tonight's vice presidential candidate debate between Republican U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, we're VERIFYING a few fast facts for you.
QUESTION #1
First up, will microphones be muted for the candidate who doesn't have the floor?
SOURCE
EXPLANATION
CBS is hosting this debate, and they've made a change from the 2024 presidential debate rules. CBS News says, "Unlike the presidential debates, a candidate's microphone will not be muted when their opponent is speaking, but CBS News reserves the right to turn off the microphones."
ANSWER
So we can VERIFY that microphones won't be automatically muted when the other candidate is speaking for the debate between Vance and Walz, but its possible they could be turned off if the moderators deem it necessary.
QUESTION #2
Now to fact-checking, a topic which has caused outcry on social media.
Let's answer the question: Is it true CBS won't fact-check the vice presidential debate in real time?
SOURCES
- CBS News
- The Hill
- The New York Times
EXPLANATION
Multiple outlets are reporting the fact-checking will happen online, as opposed to the moderators correcting false statements during the debate itself.
As the New York Times explains, the moderators won't call out false claims during the live debate, but a QR code will show up on your screen. When you scan it, it will take you to the CBS website, where about 20 CBS journalists will post fact-checks of the candidates' remarks in real time.
ANSWER
So it's technically false to say that CBS News won't fact check the debate, but the QR code will only show up on CBS stations, and not everyone understands how QR codes work. For these reasons, it's debatable how successful this experiment will be when it comes to making viewers aware of false statements that might be made by either candidate.
QUESTION #3
Now to the studio. Will the debate lack a live audience like the two presidential debates before it?
SOURCE
- CBS News
EXPLANATION
On this topic, CBS News is sticking with the rules from the 2024 presidential debates, saying, "There will be no audience — a measure also implemented during the two previous presidential debates."
ANSWER
So it's true that the debate between Vance and Walz will not have a studio audience.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Remember, the debate starts at 9 p.m. eastern and you can watch it right here on 3News, with pre-debate coverage beginning at 8 p.m.