On Tuesday, Tim Walz and J.D. Vance, the two candidates for U.S. Vice-President, will stage their only debate. Like the previous presidential tilt, this one will be on almost every major U.S. TV network, along with most of the all-news channels in Canada.
But it turns out, there may be only one place to really see it - the originating network, CBS. The reason is quite unusual. While CBS has insisted it will not do "fact checks" during the back and forth (which got ABC into hot water with Republicans) it's the only network that is going to be putting up a QR code on its screen, where viewers can go to a website and have by-the-second fact checks being done in real time.
From the New York Times:
"A QR Code - the checkerboard-like, black-and-white box that can be scanned by a smartphone — will appear onscreen for long stretches of the CBS telecast. Viewers who scan the code will be directed to the CBS News website, where a squad of about 20 CBS journalists will post fact-checks of the candidates’ remarks in real time.
"The code will appear only on CBS; viewers who tune in on a different channel will not see it."
I really like this idea. You get the facts, but not the interruptions and you can judge for yourself who's telling the truth. I hope this idea catches on for future debates. It's a necessary evil, especially for Vance, who has admitted in the past he doesn't mind telling lies if it will "wake up the American public."
Want to Check That Fact? For V.P. Debate Viewers, Just Scan the Code.