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Headline Roundup October 19th, 2020

Debate Commission Will Mute Microphones at Upcoming Presidential Debate

Summary from the AllSides News Team

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced Monday that the presidential candidates will have their microphones muted while their opponent speaks during the final presidential debate on Oct. 22. The commission decided that the changes were needed because the candidates frequently interrupted each other during the last presidential debate. This time, each nominee will be muted while his opponent has two minutes to speak on each of the six debate topics. The remainder of each 15-minute block is open for discussion, without any muting. Thursday's debate will occur after the second debate was cancelled and each candidate held their own town halls on different networks instead last Thursday. Ahead of the debate, Trump criticized moderator and NBC reporter Kristen Welker for being "terrible & unfair." The story was widely covered by outlets from across the political spectrum. Some right-rated outlets noted that it was Biden who interrupted Trump first during the last debate, while some left-rated outlets speculated that the decision would "likely anger the president."

Featured Coverage of this Story

Trump and Biden will have mics muted for part of last presidential debate
Trump and Biden will have mics muted for part of last presidential debate

CNBC

News

President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will at times have their microphones cut during their next debate, the event’s sponsors announced Monday.

When one of the two candidates is given a chance to provide a two-minute answer to each of the six debate topics, his opponent’s microphone will be muted, the Commission on Presidential Debates said in a statement.

“It is the hope of the Commission that the candidates will be respectful of each other’s time, which will advance civil discourse for the benefit of the viewing public,”...

Open on CNBC
Debate commission to mute candidates during their opponent's initial responses to prevent interruptions
News

Former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump will have their microphones muted during portions of the second and final presidential debate on Thursday night, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Monday in a decision that will likely anger the President.

The decision came after the commission met Monday afternoon to discuss potential rule changes to the debate format. They decided that the changes were needed because of how the first debate between Biden and Trump devolved into chaos, with the President frequently interrupting the former vice president.

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Open on CNN Digital
Debate Commission Will Silence Microphones in Final Debate
News

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has adopted a new rule ahead of Thursday’s second and final presidential debate and will silence the microphone of the candidate who does not have the floor during the uninterrupted two-minute periods at the start of each segment.

The Commission cited their prior announcement to consider “additional structure” to future debates following the first presidential debate with moderator Chris Wallace. The first debate saw several interruptions from both candidates and Wallace. While Joe Biden (D) set the tone by interrupting first, Wallace later stated...

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