FACT CHECK: Did ABC News Lose $27 Million In Ad Revenue Following The Sept. 10 Presidential Debate?
A post shared on Threads claims ABC News has purportedly lost $27 million in ad revenue following the presidential debate the network hosted on Sept. 10.
Post by @beverly.b.clydeView on Threads
Verdict: False
The claim is false and originally stems from a Sept. 12 article published on the satire website, “SpaceX Mania.”
Fact Check:
An ABC News/Ipsos post-debate survey shows that although 58% of respondents feel 2024 Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris won the debate, voters aren’t any more likely to support her, according to the New York Post. The same poll shows Harris is ahead at 52% “among likely voters,” the same margin she maintained with the same demographic in August, the outlet reported.
The Threads post, which has garnered over 2,000 likes as of writing, claims ABC News purportedly lost $27 million in ad revenue following the presidential debate the network hosted on Sept. 10.
“ABC lost $27M in ad revenue after advertisers pulled ads from the network after the way they hosted the debate on Tuesday, September 10th, stating that it wasn’t conducted fairly,” the post, which does not provide a source to support its claim, reads. Besides Threads, the claim circulated on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.
The claim is false and originally stems from a Sept. 12 article published on the satire website, “SpaceX Mania.”
“All the information on this website – SpaceXMania.com – is published in good faith and for general information purposes only. SpaceXMania does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (SpaceXMania), is strictly at your own risk. SpaceXMania will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website,” the site’s “Disclaimer” page reads.
“Please note that [articles] under the category ‘SATIRE’ are satirical in nature and are not meant to be taken seriously. These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up. We make no claim that the information presented in these articles is true or accurate,” an “About Satire” note on the same page indicates. (RELATED: No, ABC News Has Not Fired Debate Moderators David Muir And Linsey Davis)
Likewise, the claim is neither referenced on ABC News’ website nor its verified social media accounts. Check Your Fact also found no credible news reports to support the claim. In fact, the opposite is true. On Sept. 15, PolitiFact reported the claim was false. The outlet also traced the claim’s origin to the same satire site.
Check Your Fact has contacted ABC News for comment.
