Poll result fiasco puts US networks on guard

America’s top news networks are determined to prevent a repeat of their 2000 presidential election embarrassment, which saw them declare the wrong winner.

One station has even banned its vote analysts from watching rival stations, so they are not tempted to follow any projections of victory.

Four years ago the news channels rushed to follow suit when Florida was projected to have gone to Al Gore, the Democrat. With it, it was reported, Mr Gore had won the White House.

But the news anchors had to withdraw the prediction, based on early results and exit polls, and later declared it for Republican George Bush.

Then, as the state descended into recount chaos, the Bush victory declaration also had to be withdrawn.

It was a low point for the American news networks and the affair prompted CBS host Dan Rather to tell viewers: “If you’re disgusted with us, frankly, I don’t blame you.”

So when America goes to the polls on November 2, the pressure will be on the vote analysts working for ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox.

NBC announced that it would not allow its analysts to watch the other television stations.

“Obviously, we will be aware of what’s going on. We won’t be in a Dick Cheney-like bunker,” said anchor Tom Brokaw at a news conference.

“But I won’t jeopardise the integrity of NBC News.”

CBS News vice president for news coverage Marcy McGinnis said: “It’s far more important – it sounds so trite, especially in light of what happened in 2000 - to be right rather than be first.

“The scrutiny is on. We can’t afford another mistake,” she told Variety magazine.

Just like 2000, the 2004 election is expected to be a close race.

Mr Bush, who was eventually declared President in 2000 after the Supreme Court ordered a stop to recounting in Florida after 36 days, has the narrowest lead in the polls.

Again, like 2000, the race could come down to just one swing state. If it does there is the risk that a recount will be called for, making it almost impossible for the media organisations to project the winner.

Following the debacle of last time ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and NBC News scrapped Voters News Service, a consortium used to produce exit polling and election data.

Instead, the networks and the Associated Press will use the National Election Pool, first used by CNN as a back-up system during the mid-term elections in 2002.

All the channels are demanding that any projection is checked, double-checked and agreed by a host of journalists and experts.