Matt Lauer did not get high marks for moderating the first Clinton-Trump event


"Twitter has a memo for NBC News," says CNN's Dylan Byers: "Don't send Matt Lauer to do a political journalist's job." Lauer interviewed Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump back-to-back on Wednesday night at a forum sponsored by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the first event this election featuring both major-party nominees. "It was a high-stakes political moment, far from the chummier confines of the Today show and, for Matt Lauer, NBC's stalwart of the morning, a chance to prove his broadcasting mettle on the presidential stage, says Michael M. Grynbaum at The New York Times. "The consensus afterward was not kind."
Specifically, reporters, pundits, and other observers criticized Lauer for letting Trump get away with stating falsely that he always opposed the Iraq War, generally lobbing softball or open-ended questions at the Republican nominee, and declining to follow up when Trump evaded ones he did not like. On the other hand, Lauer was seen as being aggressive and single-minded with Clinton. "Liberals and conservatives were split about Lauer's decision to open his questioning of Clinton with the controversy over her private email server," Byers said. "But when the issue persisted 10 minutes into the 30-minute segment, and he was later forced to tell Clinton to be 'brief' on the subject of ISIS, he was slammed for dedicating so much time to the topic."
"Lauer's performance was not merely a failure, it was horrifying and shocking," says New York's Jonathan Chait. "Most voters, and all the more so undecided voters, subsist on a news diet supplied by the likes of Matt Lauer. And the reality transmitted to them from Lauer matches the reality of the polls, which is a world in which Clinton and Trump are equivalently flawed."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"NBC spokespeople did not respond to a request for comment regarding Lauer's performance, or why Chuck Todd, the network's political director and host of Meet The Press was not asked to moderate the forum," Byers says. "Lauer's performance seemed to preview the troubles that television moderators could face in balancing fairness with accountability," especially in the debates, Grynbaum adds. "If Mr. Lauer — who was passed over to host a debate in favor of his NBC colleague Lester Holt — was seeking a piece of the moderator experience, he got it. Warts and all."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
July 8 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include a Trump disappearing act, trade talk uncertainty, and Elon Musk's many injuries
-
Entente cordiale: will state visit help UK-French relations get over Brexit?
Today's Big Question The King, a keen Francophile who has a warm relationship with Emmanuel Macron, will play a key role in state visit
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage