Memo to media: Harris-Walz ticket isn't the first to do team interview

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will be tag-teaming their first major interview, spurring criticism from conservatives as well as some members of the so-called liberal media. The primetime sit-down set to air on CNN Thursday will be the first for Harris since the vice president secured the delegate votes to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.

“Should CNN have insisted on a one-on-one interview with Harris and turned down a joint interview with Harris and Walz?” former CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller tweeted. “Too tough to walk away from. But first question to Harris ought to be why should [sic] couldn’t appear solo.”

Knoller is reinforcing the conservative talking point that Harris is unqualified and unprepared to be president. That talking point is loaded with racism and sexism, but it’s also free of historical context or the clear track record of political candidates doing dual interviews with their running mates—and journalists like Knoller should know better.