During Tuesday night’s CBS News Vice Presidential Debate, Republican nominee Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) clashed with moderators over immigration and housing costs, igniting criticism about bias from both viewers and former CBS journalists. The debate, which featured Vance and his Democratic counterpart, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), took a contentious turn when CBS moderators attempted to fact-check Vance’s claims regarding the impact of immigration on housing prices.
Vance’s assertion that rising immigration had contributed to the increase in U.S. housing costs was immediately challenged by CBS moderators Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell. Brennan, in particular, interjected to dispute Vance’s statement, prompting the Ohio senator to double down, citing what he referred to as “hard data” supporting his claim. The back-and-forth escalated as microphones were briefly cut off, causing a heated exchange that drew attention not just for its content but also for how it was handled by the network.
CBS’s intervention to fact-check Vance in real-time drew ire from Republican supporters and sparked a debate about media bias. Following the debate, Vance fulfilled a promise he made on stage, releasing his evidence to support his claim on immigration’s link to housing costs. He provided reports that he said validated his argument, pushing back against the network’s on-the-spot corrections.
On Wednesday, former CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan took to social media to voice her outrage over the network’s fall from grace. Logan, who spent 16 years at CBS and held prominent roles, including serving as a full-time correspondent for 60 Minutes, minced no words in her critique of her former employer.
“Hard to believe CBS could have fallen so low,” Logan tweeted. “I spent 16 years there, I was the Chief Foreign Correspondent, the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent & a full-time correspondent for 60 Minutes, the flagship news program for the network. I cannot believe they can try to get away with this BS when we all remember Harris being appointed & a simple online search can verify that.”
Hard to believe CBS could have fallen so low. I spent 16 years there, I was the Chief Foreign Correspondent, the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent & a full-time correspondent for 60 Minutes, the flagship news program for the network. I cannot believe they can try to get away… https://t.co/QyoIBWoeEj
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) October 2, 2024
Logan’s frustration stems from CBS’s dismissal of Vance’s characterization of Vice President Kamala Harris as the “border czar.” While CBS fact-checkers labeled Vance’s statement false, claiming Harris does not hold such a title, commentators pointed out that the network itself had previously reported that Joe Biden had appointed Harris to lead efforts on addressing immigration at the southern border.
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Logan expressed her dismay over CBS’s apparent contradiction, adding that the network’s attempt to discredit Vance was part of a larger pattern of biased reporting. “Why would they lie & cover up for Harris?” she questioned in her post. “The answer is obvious – she is exposed on the border because it is a complete disaster & most Americans, including Democrats, are mad as hell.” Logan further condemned CBS for allegedly advancing what she described as a “globalist open borders policy” that, in her words, is “inhumane, unjust & rejected by all except the globalist elite & morons like those at CBS responsible for this ridiculous propaganda.”
Her sharp critique resonated with viewers, many of whom have long held that mainstream media outlets like CBS unfairly target Republican candidates while shielding Democrats from scrutiny. The vice presidential debate and the fallout that followed it have further deepened the growing rift between conservative candidates and traditional media networks. The incident mirrored a similar debate format seen earlier in the political season during the ABC-hosted debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, where interruptions and fact-checks were disproportionately aimed at the Republican candidate.
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