As CBS News prepares to host a Vice Presidential Debate between Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan won’t be inserting themselves into the action.
The network has claimed the moderators will not be real-time fact-checking the candidates during Tuesday’s 90-minute event. Instead, “the moderators will facilitate those opportunities” to each candidate to push back on comments made during the debate.
That strategy is the exact opposite of the one employed by ABC News during its Presidential Debate earlier this month when anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis called out claims that Republican nominee Donald Trump made throughout its televised event.
In addition to not fact-checking the candidates, CBS News has also released its rules for the debate that Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will moderate Tuesday.
- There will be 90 minutes of debate time, with two breaks of four minutes each.
- There will be no audience.
- The two moderators, Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, will be seated and will be the only ones asking questions of the candidates.
- Candidates will stand behind podiums for the duration of the debate, Governor Walz on stage left/screen right and Senator Vance on stage right/screen left.
- Candidates will have two minutes for closing statements. A virtual coin toss was held on Sept. 26. Sen. Vance won and elected to go second with his closing statement.
- Candidates will be introduced by the moderators in order of incumbent party.
- No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage.
- No topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates.
- Campaign staff may not interact with candidates during breaks.
- Candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
- Event space will be available for staff and candidate walk-throughs to be scheduled in advance.
- Lights will indicate time left, with numeric countdown: green until 15 seconds; solid yellow until five seconds; flashing red at five seconds; solid red at zero.
- CBS News reserves the right to turn off candidate microphones.
- Moderators will seek to enforce timing agreements.
- For each question, the candidate asked the question will get two minutes to answer and the other candidate will get two minutes to respond. Then, each candidate gets one minute for further rebuttals. At the discretion of the moderators, candidates may get an additional minute each to continue a discussion.
