Tulsi Gabbard on media: what the evidence says · JRE #1391
FACT CHECK // JRE #1391 // EXHIBIT LOG
EPISODE AIRED NOV 26, 2019 · THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE
CLAIM CMRIC9SMSTATUS: PUBLISHED
SUBJECT: MEDIA
SUBJECT: MEDIA
RulingNeeds Context
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
The first debate had something like 22 million viewers. The one that we just did, I think, had 6.6 million viewers.
Tulsi Gabbard@ 14:30
►Watch on YouTubeJUMP TO 14:30What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
Nielsen ratings reported by Forbes show the highest-rated night of the first Democratic primary debate (NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo, June 27, 2019) drew about 18.1 million viewers, not the roughly 22 million Gabbard cites; the first night of that same two-night event drew about 15 million. The 6.6 million figure matches Nielsen numbers for the November 20, 2019 MSNBC/Washington Post debate in Atlanta, in which Gabbard participated, so that half of her comparison is accurate. Gabbard's claim correctly captures a real and steep decline in debate viewership over 2019 but overstates the peak audience by roughly 4 million viewers.