How CNBC actually messed up Oct 28’s GOP debate

[Commentary] Oct 28’s Republican presidential debate became as much about the journalists who moderated it as it was about candidates who answered -- or batted away -- their questions. The moderators, their questions and their lack of control over a fractious field of candidates jostling for air time became a central part of the debate’s narrative. And the shower of criticism that followed illustrated how powerfully anti-media rhetoric can resonate with the Republican base.

The debate’s host, cable network CNBC, gave them plenty of material. Moderators John Harwood, Becky Quick and Carl Quintanilla were under fire starting Oct 28 and stretching well into the next day for their stewardship of the two-hour debate. They repeatedly clashed with the candidates while asking questions. On several occasions they seemed to lack the confidence to challenge false assertions. They asked some small-bore questions. And they regularly interrupted the candidates or talked over them in a way that seemed to rob them of control and contributed to a free-for-all atmosphere.