Univision will not live fact check candidates during Harris, Trump town halls

Univision will not fact check Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump on stage during their respective town halls, the Spanish language network confirmed to CNN.

The two town halls, on October 10 and October 16, will be moderated by Enrique Acevedo, the Mexico-based anchor of parent company Televisa’s flagship nightly newscast “En Punto.” Acevedo, who was criticized by many last year for what was considered by critics to be a “soft” interview with Trump, has become the marquee face of the Mexican broadcaster, which merged with Univision two years ago.

“He will be a guardian of time, keep the rhythms, and highlight the questioners,” Univision said in a statement.

Instead, the network plans to fact check the candidates following the broadcasts and during an October 17 special on both town halls called “Después de las respuestas,” or “After the answers.”

While the network is publicly stating there will be no live fact checks of the candidates, it is possible that Acevedo will quickly correct the record on stage, a person familiar with the situation said. A TelevisaUnivision spokesperson told CNN the fact checking decision was not a condition for any candidate’s participation.

Fact checking has become a major sticking point during the 2024 election, with both Trump and his running-mate Sen. J.D. Vance complaining about fact checks during debates, arguing that the moderators are ganging up on Republicans for pointing out falsehoods.

Acevedo’s interview with Trump in November stunned many inside and outside the network for its softer approach and lack of fact checks. Star Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, who announced he will leave the network after four decades, publicly criticized the interview, calling it “very dangerous to fail to confront Trump.”

But Acevedo defended the interview in a column for The Washington Post, noting it was the first time in 22 years a current or former Republican president sat for an interview with the network.

“In offering a fair platform for Trump’s views, which resonate with a growing segment of Televisa-Univision’s viewership, I intentionally granted him ample space,” Acevedo said. “It was a soft interview by design, not by accident or imposition, like some suggested.”

Former staffers who spoke to CNN expressed concern that claims will go unchallenged during the town halls. But a senior Univision executive defended the decision, noting fact checking will still take place after the telecasts.

“We believe in this format as an ability to facilitate interactions between voters and candidates,” the executive said. “These town halls are offering Latino voters an unprecedented opportunity to talk to the candidates. There has not been another national stage for Latinos to have this critical dialogue.”

Univision, the dominant Spanish language broadcaster in the US, is seen as critical to reaching Hispanic voters. In the past the network became known for challenging and tangling with Trump, especially Ramos who was outspoken over what he has said is Trump’s “racist” language. In 2015, Univision cut business ties with Trump and publicly called out what it called “derogatory statements” after Trump said Mexican immigrants were bringing “drugs” and “rapists”.

For voters, the town halls may be one of the final major open forums to question and challenge both candidates as Trump has refused to participate in further debates and recently backed out of a “60 Minutes” interview. Harris recently agreed to participate in a CNN town hall on October 23.