--- title: "Major TV networks to push for Biden-Trump debates" description: "Plus, Americans’ views of election information from ChatGPT" date: "2024-04-11" authors: - name: "Jacob Liedke" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/the-briefing/major-tv-networks-to-push-for-biden-trump-debates/" --- # Major TV networks to push for Biden-Trump debates ![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/prc-logo.png){.aligncenter width=409} --- April 11, 2024 # The Briefing **☀️ Happy Thursday!** *The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information*.* [**Sign up here!**](https://www.pewresearch.org/sign-up-for-the-briefing/)* **In today*’*s email:** - **Featured story:** Major TV networks to push for Biden-Trump debates - **In other news:** NPR defends its journalism amid criticism of "bias" - **Looking ahead:** CBS is overhauling its news streaming service - **Chart of the week:** Americans' views of election information from ChatGPT 🔥 **Featured story** Five major broadcast and cable news networks – **ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News** – [are reportedly preparing a letter](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/business/media/networks-biden-trump-debate-letter.html) **urging President Biden and former President Trump to participate in televised debates** ahead of Election Day. It is unclear whether the two will debate before November’s election. Presidential debates remain among the most watched events on TV, although the Trump-Biden debates in 2020 [did not attract as many viewers](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/business/media/trump-biden-debate-ratings.html) as the debates between Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. In each presidential election from 2000 to 2016, **at least six-in-ten voters said the debates were very or somewhat helpful in deciding which candidate to vote for**, according to a [2020 Pew Research Center analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/08/28/5-facts-about-presidential-and-vice-presidential-debates/). 📌 **In other news** - **NPR** [defended its commitment to diverse views](https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4584965-npr-editors-network-criticism-op-ed/) after veteran editor’s criticism of "bias" - **X **[promoted a fake headline](https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-x-twitter-ai-chatbot-grok-fake-news-trending-explore) generated by its **AI chatbot Grok**, claiming Iran attacked Israel - Kremlin documents reveal **Russian trolls** [stoking anti-Ukraine sentiment in the U.S](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/08/russia-propaganda-us-ukraine/). - A **Brazilian Supreme Court ruling** fuels journalists’ [concerns over press freedom](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/under-attack-so-many-quarters-press-freedom-brazil-now-threatened-some-judges-too) in the country - A look into **States Newsroom’s** [rapid expansion to all 50 state capitals](https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/states-newsroom-local-politics-policy-model.php) - **South Korean president** and his allies [target journalists for "fake news"](https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-04-08/raids-fines-and-digging-through-underwear-drawers-a-presidents-war-on-fake-news) 📅 **Looking ahead** **CBS News** is [planning to overhaul its streaming service](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/cbs-news-streaming-overhaul-whip-around-1235965338/), the latest in a series of moves by network news companies seeking to expand their reach to digital audiences by creating or revamping streaming services. CBS News 24/7 will be a "whip-around" program that incorporates coverage from national and local journalists. In a [2023 Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/news-platform-fact-sheet/), **58% of Americans said that they prefer to get their news from digital devices**, up from 52% in 2020. This compares with **27% of Americans in 2023 who said they prefer to get their news from TV**, down from 35% three years prior. 📊 **Chart of the week** This week's chart highlights Americans' views of ChatGPT as a source of information about the 2024 presidential election. Just **2% of U.S. adults say they have a great deal or quite a bit of trust in election information from ChatGPT**, according to a [recent Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/26/americans-use-of-chatgpt-is-ticking-up-but-few-trust-its-election-information/), while 10% say they have some trust in this information and 38% have little to no trust. About half of Americans either say they are not sure (15%) or that they haven't heard of ChatGPT (34%). [![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/04/chatbot_election.webp?w=420){.aligncenter width=400}](https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/the-briefing/the-briefing-2024-04-11/chatbot_election-webp/) --- *👋 That's all for this week. * The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Sarah Naseer, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang and Emily Tomasik. It is edited by Katerina Eva Matsa, Michael Lipka and Mark Jurkowitz, and copy edited by David Kent. *Do you like this newsletter? Email us at [journalism@pewresearch.org](mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org) or fill out this [two-question survey](https://us1.list-manage.com/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&id=449f3c3d35&attribution=false) to tell us what you think*. --- [Update preferences]({{ update_preferences }})* * [View in browser](http://{{ blog_post }})* * [Unsubscribe]({{ unsubscribe_link }})* * [Facebook](https://facebook.com/pewresearch) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/pewresearch) [Instagram](https://instagram.com/pewresearch) Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. © 2024 Pew Research Center