The ideal of a “town hall meeting” where citizens can spontaneously ask politicians the questions they would like answered doesn’t match what the “town hall” is in today’s politics. There’s too much risk for politicians, or the TV networks who platform the event.
A humorous example came on October 21 at a “town hall” with Kamala Harris and her ally Liz Cheney. An audience member asked ex-NBC reporter Maria Shriver if they could ask questions. “You’re not, unfortunately, we have some pre-determined questions,” Shriver said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to ask some of the questions that might be in your head.” Harris took only three of those pre-determined questions in an hourlong event.
On May 10, 2023 CNN hosted a town-hall event with Donald Trump. Incoming CNN host Kaitlan Collins constantly interrupted Trump and “correcting” him….
