Univision has confirmed that they will not fact check Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump during their upcoming town halls. The Spanish language network will host the town halls on October 10 and October 16, moderated by Enrique Acevedo, the anchor of Televisa’s flagship nightly newscast “En Punto.”
Acevedo, who faced criticism last year for what some considered a 'soft' interview with Trump, has become a prominent figure for the Mexican broadcaster, which merged with Univision two years ago. Univision stated that Acevedo's role will be to manage time, maintain the flow of the event, and highlight questioners.
Instead of live fact-checking during the town halls, Univision plans to fact check the candidates after the broadcasts in a special program on October 17 called “Después de las respuestas,” or “After the answers.” While the network has publicly announced no live fact checks, there is a possibility that Acevedo may correct any misinformation on stage, according to a source familiar with the situation.
A spokesperson for TelevisaUnivision clarified that the decision not to fact check live was not a condition for the candidates' participation. Fact checking has been a contentious issue in the 2024 election, with both Trump and his running-mate Sen. JD Vance expressing concerns about fact checks during debates, alleging bias against Republicans for highlighting falsehoods.
