CNN pressures YouTubers and streamers not to comment on the live presidential debate

CNN does not want internet political commentators to use its live stream of the presidential debate. A few days before the first face-to-face between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the network sent some warnings to content creators on Youtube and Twitch about the use of the live presidential debate.

This information was unveiled on Monday by political current affairs podcaster Tim Pool. According to the commentator, his team received a communication from CNN warning them and asking them not to use their content to comment on the debate. However, CNN will be the only channel to air the first presidential debate. The following broadcasts will rotate among other major national television networks.

"We confirm that we offer digital platforms the ability to broadcast the debate only through CNN YouTube, we are not granting digital entities the right to broadcast the debate on their own YouTube channels," says the message that Tim Pool made public.

According to Pool, CNN had a telephone meeting with him, mediated by YouTube. After these discussions, sources from the video platform explained to Pool that CNN has expressed concern about the content that can be generated on the platform around the presidential debate.

CNN alleges that its request has more to do with image rights than anything else. In the preceding presidential election, Fox also sought to sue those who used its live broadcast to comment on the debate on internet platforms, though it eventually dropped the legal battle.

Tim Pool assured this Monday that what the television network really wants is that "no one breaks its narrative." The commentator assures that preventing communicators like him from doing live monitoring of the debate with commentary and fact-checking is an attack against the basic principles of civic and democratic participation.

"Now, of course, as with all presidential debates," Pool assured in a video on his channel, "that is the epitome of civic responsibility, of civic participation. We will be doing live commentary and fact-checking in this presidential debate, as we have done in all the others since the program has existed," he added.