NBC's Inclusive Presidential Debate Moderator Panel Praised

Ultraviolet is saluting NBC for the diversity of its choices for moderators of the first Democratic presidential debate (Miami, June 26).

The five moderators are Lester Holt, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC; Savannah Guthrie, Today; Chuck Todd, Meet the Press; Rachel Maddow, MSNBC; and José Diaz-Balart, Noticias Telemundo and NBC Nightly News Saturday.

“NBC’s decision to ensure that four out of the five moderators for the first Democratic presidential primary debate are women or people of color is a huge win for representation at the debates and a welcome change from the status quo," said Ultraviolet co-founder Shaunna Thomas. “We urge other networks to follow NBC’s lead and make sure that all debates and town hall events have women and people of color serving as moderators. Our country has seen what happens as a result of unfair media coverage of presidential candidates - and this cannot be the reality in 2020.”

Ultraviolet did get some help from the Democratic National Committee, which announced there would be at least one female moderator and person of color at each of its dozen planned debates. 

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.