As election season moves into full swing, an important issue that is rarely talked about has now bubbled to the surface: the necessity of debate moderators and what their role should entail. The significance of the debate moderator is not merely to serve as the interlocutor between the candidates and the public. Rather, in countless debates in which lies are thrown around like a lost Frisbee, it is a chance to not only referee the candidates, but also debunk egregious lies or gross exaggerations. Since 1988, The Commission on Presidential Debates has sponsored the general election presidential debates in every election. However, the format has shifted through the years. It started with one moderator and a panel of three journalists, adding a town meeting forum in 1992 and changing it to one moderator in 1996, a dynamic that has remained ever since.
While the town meeting has been successful and should continue to operate, the debates run by the moderator, such as the upcoming one on Sept. 26 at Hofstra Univeristy, need to be explored. In the wake of Matt Laure’s horrendous performance as moderator of the NBC News commander-in-chief forum, the role of the moderator has never been so crucial and up for debate. Recently, Ann Coulter argued that moderators should not be necessary, citing that “Lincoln and Douglas didn’t have moderators,” and that the “incredibly biased, disrespected and distrusted media has injected itself right into the heart of a presidential campaign.”
However, that argument holds no weight as the government operates at a completely different pace and dynamic than it did 150 years ago. And the claim that liberal media has plagued the election is a stale argument conservatives have been pushing for the last 40 years. Moreover, the moderators slated this year are as diverse and noncontroversial as they come, with Lester Holt, Martha Raddatz, Anderson Cooper and Chris Wallace. As expected, Trump is advocating for no moderators as well, suggesting that the system is rigged against him. It’s evident he is scared of a repeat of the debate in the 2012 election. In one of the debates, Candy Crowley interrupted Mitt Romney when he blatantly lied and claimed President Obama had not called the Benghazi attack an act of terror right away. This is the type of moderation and journalism that the American people deserve.
Unlike Lauer who did not follow up on some of Trump’s false claims and used half of Clinton’s time grilling her on her emails, this cast of moderators will hopefully use time efficiently and follow up on any false claims by either candidate. Chris Wallace has said that he does not think it’s his job to fact check or point out egregious lies. However, if one went into a job interview and responded to each question by incessantly lying, invariably that person would not be employed. Politics aside, presidential candidates should be held to a higher standard.
Ezra Solway is a senior English major. He can be reached at esolway@terpmail.umd.edu.
