Is there going to be a presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris or what?

A debate is officially scheduled for Sept. 10 on ABC. But Trump is already dropping hints that he might not want to participate.

First, on Sunday night, Trump complained about ABC’s Sunday morning show “This Week” and openly asked why he should take part in a debate on ABC.

On his Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Carl’s(K?) ridiculous and biased interview of Tom Cotton (who was fantastic!), and their so-called Panel of Trump Haters, and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network? Will panelist Donna Brazil give the questions to the Marxist Candidate like she did for Crooked Hillary Clinton? Will Kamala’s best friend, who heads up ABC, do likewise. Where is Liddle’ George Slopadopolus hanging out now? Will he be involved. They’ve got a lot of questions to answer!!! Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!”

That seemed to indicate that Trump might skip out on a debate hosted by ABC.

Then on Monday, while at an event at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump again went after ABC, calling it “the single worst network for unfairness” and saying it “really should be shut out” of hosting a debate.

Then came another wrinkle that seems to have rankled the Trump campaign.

Harris’ campaign has suggested that, unlike the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, the candidates’ microphones should be left on for the entire time. In the Biden-Trump debate, candidates’ microphones were muted when it wasn’t their turn to talk.

Harris’ campaign spokesperson, Brian Fallon, said in a statement, “Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own.”

When asked by a reporter on Monday, Trump said, “Doesn’t matter to me. I’d rather have it probably on.”

But Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, reacted strongly in a statement, saying, “Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate.”

In other words, the Trump campaign wants muted microphones.

It makes sense that Trump’s team would prefer that the candidates don’t have open microphones for the entire time because, frankly, their candidate gets into trouble when he has no guardrails. Think of his campaign rallies. When he sticks to the teleprompter, he stays on point. When he starts to ad-lib, he gets into personal attacks, ridiculous theories and outright lies that make him look small and even unbalanced.

It’s the same with the debates. When Trump only has limited time, maybe 30 seconds or a minute, to deliver his message, he tends to stay on point. If his microphone were to be left open for the entire 90 minutes of a debate, who knows what might come out?

The Washington Post’s Amber Phillips wrote, “It’s clear Harris’s campaign is hoping Trump will blunder the more chances he has to talk.”

Right after the first debate, Axios’ Sara Fischer wrote, “Muted mics made it difficult for Trump to interrupt Biden, which made him appear more measured than in previous debates.”

Muted microphones also mean Trump can say whatever he wants, whether it’s true or not, without being challenged by his opponent. If microphones are left on, Harris could fact-check him in real time.

In the end, Trump’s ego won’t allow him to not debate Harris. He doesn’t want to come off as if he were ducking Harris, or afraid of her. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he accepted the challenge of having a debate with open microphones because, again, his ego wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reports are that Trump isn’t listening to his advisers when they tell him to stick to the script, and not go on rambling personal attacks, when he is giving campaign speeches. He clearly isn’t listening to them.

But when it comes to his campaign insisting that the debate rules have muted microphones, Trump would be best served to listen.

The latest regarding Gannett

For this item, I turn it over to my colleague Rick Edmonds, Poynter’s media business analyst.

Gannett announced Monday that it is financing debt it took on when GateHouse Media and Gannett were combined in 2019. Loans from private equity firm Apollo Global Management that would have come due in 2026 and 2027 have been pushed back to 2029.

As my colleague Angela Fu and I have been reporting about the company’s quarterly earnings reports, it is pursuing a strategy of building digital audience revenue and diversifying into related product lines. Though making progress on those, an earlier set of target dates for faster growth and profitability no longer looks achievable.

CEO Mike Reed said as much in a press release explaining the complex refinancing details. He said, “This new financing gives the company (a) generous runway to repay its debt. … We believe this transaction announced today creates the time and flexibility for further investment in growth in order to achieve our transformation and fully unlock value for our shareholders.”

Gannett has been paying down principal and making interest payments on the $2.2 billion it borrowed for the acquisition. But those costs chew up a good share of cash operations generated. And market conditions for Gannett and other regional publishers have deteriorated rather than gotten better in 2024.

In another bit of Gannett news, its product recommendation site, Reviewed, is being shut down, as reported by The Verge’s Mia Sato and The Washington Post’s Jeremy Barr. Changing Google algorithms made it hard for the site to build an audience, the company said.

The refinancing move appeared to be well-received on Wall Street.  Gannett shares closed at $5.73, up 17.2% for the day.

ESPN changes

(AP Photo/David Kohl)

Big changes at ESPN.

Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, outlined a new content organization structure and announced Mike McQuade as executive vice president for sports production — a new position created by Magnus.

As Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod explained, “While it isn’t the same title that former executive editor and head of event and studio production Norby Williamson held before being let go in April, McQuade’s promotion effectively makes him the polarizing former executive’s successor.”

In other words, when it comes to ESPN content, McQuade now becomes the No. 2 behind Magnus. McQuade has been with ESPN since 1987 and has overseen a variety of live events and studio shows.

There were also several other announcements involving leadership, including David Roberts being promoted to executive vice president and executive editor of sports news and entertainment, meaning he will now be in charge of shows such as “SportsCenter,” “Get Up,” “First Take” and “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Axelrod wrote for Awful Announcing, “As is the case with any reorganization, the question isn’t just who’s been promoted, but also who’s been demoted or let go. That, however, wasn’t addressed in Magnus’ memo, but will inevitably be a topic that makes headlines of its own in the coming days.”

More Prime time

A few leftover thoughts from an item I had in Monday’s newsletter about University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders. In case you missed it, Sanders has banned Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler from asking questions of Sanders during press conferences. The University is backing Sanders, saying Keeler has made “sustained, personal attacks” against him. They pointed to columns in which Keeler referred to Sanders as a “false prophet,” “Deposition Deion,” “Planet Prime,” and the “Bruce Lee of B.S.,” among other things.

Then I added, “Sanders cannot be forced to answer questions from anyone he doesn’t want to talk to, but this is a bad look for him, the football program and the school, which is clearly too scared of Sanders to do anything but back him. Sanders comes off as petty and a bully, and the school comes off as weak.”

Some of the reader reaction I received agreed that Sanders came off as a bit soft and petty, but they also asked if Keeler had crossed the line with some of his commentary. Some wondered if he delivered a few too many cheap shots in his otherwise fair criticism of Sanders. One reader — a former sportswriter who was in the business a long time and had a stellar reputation — thought some of Keeler’s columns were over the top in ripping Sanders.

I can see their point. I was a sports columnist at the Tampa Bay Times for many years, and I don’t think I would have gone as far as Keeler does about someone I covered. But, hey, maybe that just means we have different styles.

Still, it sparked a couple of more thoughts.

First, Keeler is still able to do his job covering Sanders and the Colorado program. He is a columnist and, unlike a beat writer, doesn’t need quotes or insight from Sanders to write his columns. Now, if Sanders doesn’t allow Keeler to ask him questions, he then can’t complain if Keeler writes something that he doesn’t like or something that could have been clarified if Keeler had been allowed to ask questions.

Perhaps the most common — and completely valid — complaint a columnist can get from someone they cover is, “Why didn’t you ask me about this before you wrote it?” By banning Keeler from asking a question, Sanders can’t ever say that.

Lastly, Sanders’ ban has probably done the opposite of what he intended. He has made Keeler more famous and, in many ways, a sympathetic victim in this case.

Seems like this whole thing can be cleared up with a sit-down between Keeler and Sanders. Honestly, Keeler probably is fine with where things stand. It’s Sanders who needs to clear this up.

Media tidbits

• On her Substack, Parker Molloy with “How Did a Vocal Trump Supporter End Up in CNN’s ‘Undecided Voter’ Panel?”
• The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo with “A war for the future: How streamers, Big Tech are tightening their grip on the media.”
• Semafor’s Max Tani with “Progressive news site Barbed Wire launches in Texas.”
• The Washington Post’s Shane Harris is joining The Atlantic as a staff writer to cover national security and intelligence. Harris has been with the Post since 2018 and was part of the Post team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, for coverage of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and efforts to overturn the presidential election.

Hot type

• A big-time project from the Chicago Tribune about politics in Illinois: “Culture of Corruption.” The Tribune writes, “What makes Illinois so corrupt? In the coming weeks and months, the Tribune will explore and attempt to explain why corruption continues to poison virtually every level of government in our state, draining off tax dollars and robbing public service of its meaning.”

More resources for journalists

• Lead With Influence is for leaders who manage big responsibilities but have no direct reports.
• Public media journalists: Learn about our Digital Transformation Program.
• Find compelling climate change stories on any beat at Beat Academy.

Correction: This story has been updated to say Brian Fallon is the spokesperson for Kamala Harris’ campaign. Another position was listed in an earlier version of this story.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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