Television Networks Struggle to Provide Equal Airtime in the Era of Trump

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The television news industry is wrestling with how to balance fairness, credibility and the temptations of sky-high ratings as it prepares for a presidential matchup like none other.

For broadcasters, turning down an interview with a candidate is anathema to a news culture trained to pursue maximum access. Yet the starkly different strategies of the 2016 candidates are straining the industry’s bedrock notions of evenhandedness. Networks are seeking novel ways to maintain balance, like staging voter town halls that provide candidates with equal airtime; seeking a wider spectrum of on-air contributors and campaign surrogates; and bringing more fact-checking into segments.


Television Networks Struggle to Provide Equal Airtime in the Era of Trump