CNN wasn't doing the electorate any favors with its combative questions in the seventh Democratic presidential debate

Variety

The cable news network was roundly slammed last night for the framing of a question in the Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren spat. That followed other combative questions that, says Caroline Framke, were aimed at pursuing confrontational moments that CNN can dissect to death afterwards. The questions, says Framke, "reflects a formula that debate audiences have become all too used to hearing in recent months: '[x candidate]: your opponent/naysayers have said your [x policy] is dumb. Why are they wrong?' It’s not the kind of question that’s actually meant to inform the electorate. It’s the kind of question that’s meant to inspire antagonistic moments that give cable news channels like CNN some juicier meat to chew in between debates." ALSO: The seventh debate was "anti-theatrical" despite CNN's efforts to make it dramatic.