By Fact-Checking Trump, ABC News Changed the Format of Presidential Debates

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor It’s official: TV-news anchors can fact-check presidential candidates during a national debate.

In an era when news outlets have been loath to make themselves the target of invective from partisans, ABC News on Tuesday night opted to allow moderators in a broadcast of a presidential debate to correct the participating candidates — mostly former President Donald Trump — in real time, an element often missing from such events.

ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis often gave in to Trump’s demand for more time to respond to Vice President Kamala Harris’ comments, but they also stopped him short by telling him in no uncertain terms that some of the stuff he was peddling — rants about babies being killed after delivery and immigrants in Ohio eating animals — were pure hogwash. “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born,” Davis said, after Trump spun a tale about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — Harris’ running mate — allowing the execution of babies brought to term.

When Trump made a dubious claim about immigrants in Ohio dining on cats and dogs, Muir told him that ABC News had called the city manager of Springfield — the town Trump to which Trump had referred — and discovered officials had found no credible evidence of such behavior. “The people on television say, ‘My dog was taken and used for food,’” Trump said. “I’m not taking this from television,” Muir answered. “I’m taking it from the city manager.” Spokespersons for ABC News could not be reached for immediate comment.