Emmanuel Ochayi
In a turn of events, Elon Musk has publicly praised CNN for its non-partisan handling of the recent US presidential debate.
The tech mogul took to social media on Friday to commend the network for its balanced approach in moderating the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
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Elon Musk posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, lauding CNN for its fairness. “Have to say that @CNN did a good job managing the debate just like Elon Musk.
Questions were reasonable and non-partisan. No favoritism was shown to either candidate,” Musk wrote. “This is what the public wants from the media.”
CNN’s Moderation Strategy
CNN’s debate moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, maintained a neutral stance throughout the event.
A CNN spokesperson explained, “The role of the moderators is to present the candidates with questions that are important to American voters and to facilitate a debate, enabling candidates to make their case and challenge their opponent. It is up to the candidates to challenge one another in a debate.”
Despite not intervening to correct any inaccuracies from the candidates, the moderators allowed the candidates to scrutinize each other’s statements.
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This hands-off approach was intended to let the public witness an unfiltered exchange between the two leaders.
Support from Unlikely Quarters
Fox News host Sean Hannity, known for his critical stance on CNN, also acknowledged the network’s fair handling of the debate.
“In fairness to Fake News CNN, Fake Jake, and Fake Dana, they put aside their prejudice, their hatred towards Donald Trump for the night, and they actually asked questions and waited for answers,” Hannity said. “And, I thought they managed the debate fairly well, something I didn’t expect.”
Criticism and Controversy
Despite the praise from Musk and Hannity, not everyone was convinced of CNN’s impartiality. Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, expressed skepticism during an interview with CNN host Kasie Hunt.
Leavitt accused Jake Tapper of consistently likening Trump to Adolf Hitler in the past, suggesting that this bias would affect the debate’s fairness.
“It would take someone five minutes to Google ‘Jake Tapper Donald Trump’ to see that Jake Tapper has consistently likened President Trump to Adolf [Hitler],” Leavitt claimed. Hunt ended the interview after multiple warnings for Leavitt to cease criticizing the moderators.
Leavitt later posted on X, asserting that her microphone was cut off for addressing Tapper’s alleged bias. “You cut off my microphone for bringing up the debate moderator’s history of anti-Trump lies,” she wrote. “This proved our point that President Trump will not be treated fairly on Thursday.”
Public Reaction To Elon Musk View
The public response to Musk’s praise of CNN has been mixed. Some view it as a positive endorsement of balanced journalism, while others remain skeptical of media bias.
Elon Musk unexpected commendation has sparked a broader conversation about media impartiality and the role of moderators in political debates.
Emmanuel Ochayi is a journalist. He is a graduate of the University of Lagos, School of first choice and the nations pride. Emmanuel is keen on exploring writing angles in different areas, including Business, climate change, politics, Education, and others.
