Following their contentious performance at Tuesday night’s presidential debate, ABC News reportedly fired debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis in a decision that astonished exactly zero people on Twitter but left the broadcast media community in disbelief. The network said bluntly in a statement that was made public late on Wednesday: “David Muir and Linsey Davis are a disgrace to their profession.”
You did really hear correctly. Like last week’s trending hashtags, the once-respected news anchors—known for their cool professionalism and journalistic integrity—are now being ejected from ABC’s hallowed halls. What was their crime? Fact-checking Donald Trump and posing the odd question or two to Kamala Harris. It appears that speaking the truth has turned into the quickest path to unemployment in today’s media environment.
It all began quite casually. Assigned to moderate the discussion between Trump and Harris, Muir and Davis made the decision to try something new this time. The moderators decided to fact-check the candidates—in real time—instead of just nodding courteously while they blathered about the pet problem in Springfield, Ohio, while telling half-truths, blatant lies, and dubious tales.
A brave step, huh? Seems overly audacious.
Trump took the stage with his customary storytelling flair throughout the ninety-minute production, as was to be expected. Trump’s performance was, to put it mildly, creatively disconnected from reality, whether he was waxing poetic about Democrats “executing babies after birth” or detailing how immigrants were supposedly turning America’s pets into a banquet.
In a move that will undoubtedly go down in fact-checking history, Muir abruptly ended the discussion to tell the audience that, no, there isn’t a state in the union where post-birth infant executions are permitted. Furthermore, there isn’t a covert gastronomic conflict between Springfield’s immigrant community and family pets. These clarifications may seem useful—even necessary—to a rational viewer.
However, ABC News executives claim that Muir and Davis’s abrupt departure was directly caused by their “helpful” actions.
“Moderators are meant to guide the debate, not embarrass candidates by calling out falsehoods,” ABC noted in a blistering memo that somehow managed to be both professional and oozing with scorn. The American people have a right to hear both sides, without bias, of every story. When David Muir and Linsey Davis chose to assume participant roles instead of moderators, they stepped over the line, and that is unacceptable.
“Real-time fact-checking gives the truth an unfair advantage, and that is not what we stand for at ABC,” the message went on.
Undoubtedly, the revelation shocked the whole journalism community. Muir and Davis were, after all, considered by many to be two of the most prestigious figures in American journalism. However, ABC made a clear decision: in the chaotic realm of presidential debates, telling the truth has no place.
In the meantime, the joy that Trump’s crew felt over the moderators’ dismissal was impossible to suppress. Before his father could declare “rigged debate,” Donald Trump Jr. embraced X (previously Twitter), writing, “Finally! I have fired the hack moderators who banded together against my father. The right has been done!
Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly also voiced her opinion, calling the dismissal “long overdue” and accused Davis and Muir of putting on the “worst anchor pile-on I’ve ever seen.” For the record, Megyn Kelly is the same person that got into a memorable argument with Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. However, politics often brings odd bedfellows.
Industry insiders are already speculating about what the future holds for discussion moderating in light of the firing of Muir and Davis. “Let Them Speak Their Truths” appears to be the new network policy, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. Moderators will be directed under this ground-breaking new format to refrain from fact-checking candidates at all, letting their “truths” speak for themselves.
“Anyway, who’s to say what’s true anymore?” The source shrugged and spoke. “Perhaps Springfield truly is a center of instability involving pet eating. Who are we to pass judgment?
According to reports, ABC management are in discussions with a number of potential moderators to take Muir and Davis’ place—people who are skilled at giving serious nods while ignoring the obvious. There are rumors that Joy Behar of The View and Sean Hannity of Fox News are also on the shortlist. These two are guaranteed to add tact and balance to the next debate. (Or make sure nobody learns anything new, at the absolute least.)
Naturally, news of Muir and Davis’s termination sent the internet into a frenzy. After the news, #FireTheFactCheckers became popular for hours, with some users mocking ABC for “finally embracing the chaos.” “To be honest, I watch these debates for the entertainment value, not for boring facts,” one widely shared post said. Bravo to ABC for maintaining the heat!
Some, meanwhile, weren’t quite as happy. One person tweeted, “ABC just fired two of the best journalists on television because they told the truth.” “Is this our current location?”
Elon Musk also joined in, writing, “ABC proves once again: reality is optional,” in a post.
ABC executives may be kicking themselves for bringing back “balance” to the debate stage, but Muir and Davis are not going to go gently into the night. Sincerity and fact-based reporting have been the cornerstones of both journalists’ careers; these attributes don’t seem to be valued in the world of political television.
Muir and Davis announced their unhappiness with ABC’s decision in a joint statement, but they also vowed to keep up their dedication to the truth. “We remained true to our values,” they declared. “So be it if that makes us a disgrace to our profession.”
There are even rumors circulating that the two may collaborate on a new podcast, “Fact-Check This,” where they will be able to expose political falsehoods without worrying about backlash from network executives. Who knows? The way things are going, they might end up being the next big thing on YouTube—live fact-checking arguments while the moderators themselves relax and enjoy a cup of tea.
Although ABC’s decision to remove Muir and Davis was unexpected, it also represents a larger trend in today’s media environment: the demise of accountability. In a world where “alternative facts” are commonplace in political discourse, debate moderators’ duties have evolved from fact-finders to quiet observers, whose main responsibility is to make sure that each contender has enough time to deceive the public.
Is the era of well-informed arguments coming to an end as Muir and Davis pack up their offices and get ready for the next phase of their careers? Or are we merely seeing the emergence of a new age in which the voice with the greatest volume triumphs and facts are irrelevant?
There is no doubt about it: the journey will be exhilarating.
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