CBS News will host a highly anticipated vice-presidential debate on Tuesday, Oct. 1, featuring Ohio Sen. JD Vance, R, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, D. In a first for the network, the debate will include a new interactive element that allows viewers to access additional context for the candidates’ answers.
During the broadcast, CBS viewers will see a QR code on their screens for extended periods. When scanned with a smartphone, the code will direct users to the CBS News website, where a team of about 20 journalists will provide what the network calls “real-time fact-checks” of the candidates’ statements.
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Claudia Milne, CBS’s senior vice president for standards and practices, explained the intent behind this feature.
“The idea is to give people that second-screen experience,” Milne said. “The audience can get the takeaway they need in a responsible and smart way.” While CBS aims to encourage exchanges between the candidates, moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will not be fact-checking during the debate.
CNN refrained from fact-checking in the first debate between Biden and Trump, while ABC moderators fact-checked the debate between Harris and Trump. CNN faced criticism from the Left for not fact-checking Trump, and ABC received backlash from the Right for its selective fact-checks.
In a change from presidential debates, both campaigns have agreed to keep the microphones live throughout the vice presidential debate, rather than muting them during the other candidate’s response.
The debate will start at 9 p.m. Eastern. All major networks will simulcast the event, but the fact-check QR code feature will be exclusive to CBS.
