Linsey Davis, a broadcast journalist for ABC News and recent moderator of a presidential debate, joined former ABC News anchor Melba Tolliver for a webinar hosted by Lafayette College on Monday. The event ran in partnership with the Easton Book Festival.
Six students and faculty members gathered in Jenks Hall to listen in on the webinar, which was led by Tolliver. Davis discussed the Sept. 10 presidential debate, her career as a broadcast journalist and finished the event by reading one of her children’s books.
A co-moderator for the debate alongside fellow ABC News anchor David Muir, Davis said she was not startled by any responses of Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump.
“I was surprised that Donald Trump didn’t look at Kamala Harris,” she admitted, saying that “it would have been hard for me to have been surprised because I prepared for so many possible outcomes.”
Davis described the debate as an entirely different experience when working in person. She also mentioned widespread criticism of the moderators after the debate, with some networks claiming Davis was biased against Trump.
“One critic on Fox News said, ‘You are not a real journalist,'” Tolliver told Davis during the webinar, mentioning how other national publications described Davis as a “rising star.”
“A debate moderator is a real thankless job,” Davis responded. “One-half of the country is going to be happy, and one-half isn’t.”
“I did what I felt was a service to the American people, and people will always have varying opinions of whether that was a good job or whether it was a terrible job,” she continued.
Davis and Tolliver also rehashed old memories and shared stories about their unexpected career paths. Davis shared that seeing Tolliver lead the news as a Black woman showed her that broadcast journalism was a possibility, describing Tolliver as her mentor.
“I never grew up thinking that I wanted to be an anchorwoman,” Davis said. “I feel so blessed that the example already existed.”
Kylie Walker ‘26, an English major who took a journalism class at Lafayette, appreciated the opportunity to listen to Davis speak.
“I think hearing from people who seem so distant, whether it be because they’re on TV or Broadway or movies, and getting to talk to these people, as people, and not just as distant figures is cool,” Walker said. “You get a sense that anything is attainable if you reach for it.”
“Most of them didn’t plan on being famous or being in public, so it’s inspiring if you’re somebody who wants to make a difference,” she continued.
Chris Allen ‘26 also attended the webinar after receiving an email from his professor.
“I was disappointed overall that there weren’t some opportunities for us to ask questions about her and she couldn’t see us or anything, so it was just us watching the interview,” Allen said, adding that “the quality of the interview content was very good.”
Tolliver said that after the event, she wished for more time to speak with Davis.
“I’m never satisfied with something like this,” she said. “Because, I always think, ‘Oh I should have asked this,’ or, ‘Maybe I didn’t get this right.’”
“It’s not like when I’m interviewing in a studio where there’s a stage manager who is giving you a countdown of how much time you have left,” Tolliver continued.
The other half of the interview was focused on books.
Tolliver published her memoir with Andy Laties, the founder of the Easton Book Festival, after working on it for almost 40 years. Davis reached out to Tolliver to congratulate her on the completed book, and Laties then had the idea to feature Davis and her children’s books at the Easton Book Festival this fall.
Davis has written six books throughout her life. At Monday’s session, she read her latest book, “Girls of the World: Doing More Than Before.”
“I had no idea that she was an author, and especially of children’s books,” Walker said of Davis. “I feel like that’s an interesting segue from journalism.”
Laties said that the interview will be featured on the festival’s website.
Caroline Lee, the anthropology and sociology department head, promoted the event by notifying 65 faculty members about the interview.
“In today’s age, to understand the information environment and what that looks like through a behind-the-scenes view of how anchors and hosts manage disinformation is valuable,” Lee said.
“You get to see people who are doing the work,” she said.
