THE BIG US networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN, all are facing a credibility crisis as a result of the November 7 presidential election.
The night of the elections (senators were also being elected). I started watching the coverage at home switching from the networks, concentrating mainly on Cable News Network (CNN) because it has become a credible news/talk, worldwide system. At about 10.30 that night I walked into a certain watering hole where some media types hang out. The young woman behind the counter thought Al Gore had won, and asked if I also thought so. Looking at the share of the electoral votes on CNN, I told her it still was too close to call. At one point, news anchor Bernard Shaw declared George W. Bush the president-elect of the United States.
It so happened that in the race to be "first with the news" all the networks and CNN, before midnight, named the winner of the presidential election. They were not banking on what was going to happen in Florida, which carries 25 electoral votes. They all had to change their "call", some more than once, in the race to be first with the news. They had egg on their faces and the question is being asked: What went wrong? I have since watched discussion programmes with news executives and anchors trying to find the answer to the question.
Blame the computers
CBS anchor Dan Rather appeared quite disturbed as he tried to explain what had happened on a CNN programme, especially, as he said, that CBS had an excellent record in calling the elections. He admitted that the major American media are facing a credibility problem with millions of viewers and listeners. One of the participants made reference to the computers used in tabulating the votes, and said bluntly "garbage in, garbage out." It seems that the computer centre is finally going to take the rap.
It appeared that the networks and CNN, and other major media were using a computer system they had established and went by the name Voter News Service (VNS), manned by qualified personnel. I do not believe it was a case of gi-go (garbage in, garbage out), owing to the fact that all the major media had analysts working on and off camera. The fact is that no one apparently saw the cliff-hanger developing in Florida. One anchor was surprised that they were still covering the presidential election at three o'clock on the morning of the 8th. The hours went into days.
One point that it appears is being played down by the major media networks is the accusation that by naming the winner of the election prematurely, could have prevented people from voting in different time zones where the polls were still open. These people would say there was no point in voting because their man had already won, or their man had already lost.
This foul-up by the major US media cannot be blamed on computers, because apparently the human beings were not prepared to believe what the computers were telling them: a cliff-hanger is on the way.
