facts are not up for debate

Our job is to cover the news, but our mission is to spread truth and to stop misinformation.

Some things don’t have two sides. Facts are not up for debate. And when the president of the United States, from the White House, tries to tear down one of the bedrocks of American democracy, a fair and free election, that is no longer news. It is propaganda.

This is not censorship. There is no mandate that we air everything a political leader says. That is state-controlled media. His remarks weren’t about political differences but undermining Americans’ confidence in the democratic process.

We simply chose not to use our platforms to amplify this dangerous message, with the potential to incite violence, in real time when it was impossible to provide facts and context simultaneously. We covered the speech carefully and fully afterward. 

Nicole Carroll is the editor-in-chief of USA TODAY

"Backstory: We cut off President Trump's remarks about a "rigged" election Thursday night. Here's why." USA TODAY. November 6, 2020