PolitiFact: Don’t mess with C-SPAN – Washington Examiner
The article discusses the reputation of C-SPAN as a nonpartisan network providing unbiased political coverage. It highlights a recent incident involving Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance, where a closed captioning read “single person clapping” during his speech, sparking controversy and ridicule on social media. Critics suggested that this captioning reflected a biased opinion from C-SPAN’s staff. The piece indicates that further investigation was warranted to determine whether C-SPAN’s captioning had become opinionated, given its longstanding commitment to simply presenting information without additional commentary. Ultimately, the article underscores the importance of maintaining impartiality in political reporting.
PolitiFact: Don’t mess with C-SPAN
If there is a gold standard in nonpartisan political coverage, it has to belong to C-SPAN.
Others claim it, but only the 45-year-old network created by the cable TV industry can truthfully say, “We report, you decide.”
As it has in recent years, C-SPAN is sending its cameras out to broadcast major political speeches and rallies on its cable, satellite, and streaming platforms, complete with courthouse-style captioning, no opinions added.
But eyebrows were raised when a screen grab of Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) speaking in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Aug. 21 with a caption that read “[single person clapping]” went viral.
Vance critics spread the image on social media platforms such as X, and some snarky outlets even wrote stories about what they claimed was a pointed dig by a C-SPAN caption writer.
“The person in charge of typing out the closed captioning for Vance’s speech at CSPAN might want to consider a career as a copy editor, because they are clearly very keen on details,” one website that also provided examples of X users poking fun at Vance said.
“Whoever was captioning at CSPAN felt obliged to specify that only a single member of the audience was clapping at that specific moment. J.D. can perhaps console himself with the thought that at least there were two hands clapping,” another story said.
Was it true? Had C-SPAN become opinionated in its captioning?
An investigation was needed, and PolitiFact stepped in.
In a note to PolitiFact, C-SPAN denied it wrote the caption.
“We checked our captioning log. That image is fake. It never appeared on C-SPAN. You can verify for yourself by seeing the video here. Go to program time 15:41 — which is clock time 1:10pm (which is what appears in the fake image) and watch the full minute. Thanks for fact checking this!” spokeswoman Robin Newton told PolitiFact.
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PolitiFact did and said on Friday that no such caption ever appeared on C-SPAN.
“We rate claims that C-SPAN aired the caption ‘single person clapping’ False,” the fact-checker said, confirming that the network remains a politically safe space.
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