Both Sides Abelism
By 
As an attempt to bring balance to coverage of multiple completely unqualified and unhinged Republican Senate candidates, some news outlets have suggested that John Fetterman’s use of close captioning suggests some kind of cognitive weakness. This is really gross:
Disability advocates are accusing NBC News of ableism following an interview with Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for US Senate, which they say was overly concerned with the live transcription he required during the sit-down due to his auditory processing issues.
The interview by reporter Dasha Burns, which was introduced on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday night by anchor Lester Holt as “not your typical candidate interview,” was Fetterman’s first on camera since he had a near-deadly stroke in May.
Much of the brief interview that aired on Tuesday focused, in a meta way, on the interview itself, describing the need for the live transcription and discussing Fetterman’s medical state. (NBC also uploaded the full 30-minute sit-down on its website.) Burns promoted the interview on Twitter by writing that it was “Unlike any political interview I’ve ever done. Unlike any race I’ve ever covered.”
The response from some political reporters in DC further homed in on the accommodation Fetterman required during the interview. “An important interview with top Senate contender,” CBS reporter Ed O’Keefe said. “Will Pennsylvanians be comfortable with someone representing them who had to conduct a TV interview this way?”
For advocates of people with permanent and temporary disabilities, the interview and the response leaned too much on Fetterman’s condition and whether he was up to the job.
“I was stunned to see how the coverage of his use of captions was so riddled with ableism,” said Maria Town, the president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities. “The interview was deeply upsetting to see.”
I look forward to the NBC report suggesting that Mitch McConnell might be unfit for office because he can’t see without the use of glasses.
As a superior alternative, I recommend Rebecca Traister’s sharp and complex profile.