Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta has urged television networks to stop airing some of President Donald Trump's speeches live, arguing it would be "totally nuts" for broadcasters to do so without fact-checkers on hand to challenge inaccurate claims in real time. His comments follow a row over how US networks covered Trump's primetime address last Thursday, after ABC and NBC chose not to broadcast it live, prompting Trump himself to criticise both networks during the speech.

The decision by ABC and NBC drew a backlash from some Republicans, including Department of Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin, who branded the snub "shameful", while Democratic strategist James Carville argued networks had made a mistake by avoiding the speech altogether. CBS did air the address, but faced separate criticism from Senator Mark Warner, who accused the network of broadcasting Trump's "falsehoods" as news; CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil pushed back against that characterisation. Acosta's remarks add a further, contrasting voice to the debate, siding with the networks that opted against live, unfiltered coverage.