CNN Won't Use '1- to 2-Minute Delay' During 1st 2024 Biden-Trump Debate

Jordan Liles

27 June 2024 at 6:41 pm·2-min read

Claim:

CNN planned to implement a one- to two-minute delay during the first U.S. presidential debate on June 27, 2024, and use it to "cut and edit" the audio as it pleased.

Rating:

On June 27, 2024, Patrick Webb (@RealPatrickWebb), a writer with TheLeadingReport.com, posted (archived) on X, "BREAKING: CNN will implement a 1-2 minute delay for tonight's presidential debate instead of the standard 7-second delay, potentially allowing time to edit parts of the broadcast." The post received more than 2 million views, 1,600 replies, 6,500 reposts and 20,000 likes.

Minutes later, @CNNPR, the official CNN Communications account on X, replied to Webb's post by stating the delay rumor was "false." The CNN post (archived) read, "This is false. The debate will begin live at 9pm ET."

Both posts appeared on X hours before the start of the first 2024 U.S. presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, airing on CNN.

We sent a direct message to Webb's X account asking if he had a source to support his claim and why there appeared to be no articles about CNN's alleged plan on TheLeadingReport.com, despite the fact he posted the supposed "breaking" news on X around three hours earlier. We also emailed CNN to ask about a broadcast delay. We will update this article if we receive any responses.

Many other users shared the rumor of a broadcast delay, even though it was groundless.

X user Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto), an account with more than 727,000 followers, posted (archived) a screenshot of Webb's post. Callesto wrote, without providing evidence, "JUST IN: CNN stacking the deck, will implement a one to two minute delay which will give them the ability to CUT AND EDIT audio they don't like.. PAYING ATTENTION NOW." His post received more than 863,000 views, 1,300 replies, 6,600 reposts and 14,000 likes.

Similarly, X user Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker), whose account profile says he is an independent journalist with nearly 515,000 followers, posted (archived) a screenshot of Webb's post, commenting above it, "CNN has thought of more ways to cheat viewers of a free and fair presidential debate. It will implement a 1-2 minute delay so that it can cut audio if Trump says something the network doesn't want Americans to hear." His post received more than 618,000 views, 3,300 reposts and 8,500 likes.

Follow all of our live coverage of the first presidential debate in our article, "Fact-Checking the 2024 Presidential Debate: Live Updates."

Sources:

@CNNPR. "This Is False. The Debate Will Begin Live at 9pm ET." X.Com, 27 June 2024, https://x.com/CNNPR/status/1806396566367773175.

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