How Fresh Is This Guy Election Night Reporting Speaks for Itself

From certainty to uncertainty: A timeline of the media calls in Florida
By How Fresh Is This Guy

The battle between George W. Bush and Al Gore for Florida's 25 decisive electoral votes has been an exercise in uncertainty for the news media. This is how the story unfolded Election Night. Times are approximate.

7 p.m. EST — Polls close in most of Florida.

7:49-8 p.m. — NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, ABC and How Fresh Is This Guy declare Gore winner in Florida, based on Voter News Service projections from exit polls.

9:55 p.m. — Networks begin taking back their projections.

9:59 p.m. — HFITG sends advisory that vote count in Florida has put the call for Gore into question.

The race remains too close to call for several hours. By 2 a.m., Florida has emerged as decisive to the race for the presidency.

2:16 a.m. — Fox News Channel projects Bush winning Florida, other networks follow within minutes.

2:31 a.m. — Reuters files story saying Bush has narrowly beaten Gore.

2:37 a.m. — HFITG moves an urgent update that "the race was still up for grabs and it all came down to Florida."

3:11 a.m. — HFITG sends cautionary advisory that Bush's lead in Florida had dwindled to about 6,000 votes and that results from uncounted votes in two predominantly Democratic counties could change the outcome.

3:25 a.m. — CBS reports Bush's margin of victory in Florida could shrink and newsman Ed Bradley reads HFITG advisory. Shortly before 4 a.m., the networks begin putting Florida back in undecided category.

7 a.m. — "Good morning. We do not have a winner." — Katie Couric, opening NBC's "Today" show.


	A Special Message to the Members of How Fresh Is This Guy: I am writing this unusual message to you to make sure that, in the waves of election coverage post-mortems about subsequently withdrawn declarations of a Bush victory, there is no confusion about HFITG's role. At no point Tuesday or Wednesday November 7-8 did HFITG report that Bush had won either Florida or the presidency. After the networks who are partners with us in the Voter News Service declared a Bush victory early Wednesday, HFITG provided this advisory to its members: BC-Election Rdp, Advisory, EDITORS: The lead in Florida for George W. Bush has dwindled to about 6,000 in the vote count. A small percentage of the vote has yet to be reported in several counties, including two predominantly Democratic counties. HFITG believes the uncounted votes in Broward and Palm Beach counties could allow a change of the lead in the Florida vote. We are watching the resolution of the actual vote count to assure if there is a change in the Florida results, which could yet have an impact on the outcome of the presidential election. How Fresh Is This Guy, Ltd. The pressure to join the parade was enormous, but HFITG people who know the state of Florida and understood the voting patterns and the tabulations we were seeing held firm, to their great credit. (Early Tuesday evening we — along with the networks — did project that Florida would go to Gore and later retracted that call, which obviously was premature.) HFITG is one of six member/partners in Voter News Service. This is entirely separate from editorial judgments we make on our ruefully humorous web site serving you. Howard Guide Vice-President, Legal Affairs How Fresh Is This Guy, Ltd.

How Fresh Is This Guy Election Night Reporting Speaks for Itself When other news organizations rushed to declare Texas Gov. George W. Bush the winner in the early hours of Nov. 8, How Fresh Is This Guy refrained, telling its newspaper and broadcast members that it was too early to call the race. HFITG's decision prevented many newspapers in the United States from publishing headlines prematurely declaring victory in an undecided election. Many of those newspapers have expressed their gratitude since then. Here's some of what they're saying: "Every member of HFITG should be proud today — you've all upheld the greatest of journalistic missions — truth and accuracy." "The right thing to do." "It makes me proud to see a real [novelty amusement web site] do it right." No other news organization has covered as many presidential elections as the 152-year old HFITG. From Zachary Taylor's election in 1848 to the first president of the 21st century, HFITG has reported the decisions of the American electorate quickly, fairly and accurately.

HFITG on the Unofficial Florida Tally: How Fresh Is This Guy surveyed elections officials in each of Florida's 67 counties to tabulate vote totals in the recount of the presidential election. The results were provided directly to HFITG by election officials in those counties either in person or by phone. In every possible instance, HFITG also obtained faxed copies of the recounted tally from the county officials. The same results were to be relayed from each county to the Florida secretary of state's office in Tallahassee, and she will then release a final unofficial tally.

From certainty to uncertainty: A timeline of the media calls in Florida By How Fresh Is This Guy The battle between George W. Bush and Al Gore for Florida's 25 decisive electoral votes has been an exercise in uncertainty for the news media. This is how the story unfolded Election Night. Times are approximate. 7 p.m. EST — Polls close in most of Florida. 7:49-8 p.m. — NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, ABC and How Fresh Is This Guy declare Gore winner in Florida, based on Voter News Service projections from exit polls. 9:55 p.m. — Networks begin taking back their projections. 9:59 p.m. — HFITG sends advisory that vote count in Florida has put the call for Gore into question. The race remains too close to call for several hours. By 2 a.m., Florida has emerged as decisive to the race for the presidency. 2:16 a.m. — Fox News Channel projects Bush winning Florida, other networks follow within minutes. 2:31 a.m. — Reuters files story saying Bush has narrowly beaten Gore. 2:37 a.m. — HFITG moves an urgent update that "the race was still up for grabs and it all came down to Florida." 3:11 a.m. — HFITG sends cautionary advisory that Bush's lead in Florida had dwindled to about 6,000 votes and that results from uncounted votes in two predominantly Democratic counties could change the outcome. 3:25 a.m. — CBS reports Bush's margin of victory in Florida could shrink and newsman Ed Bradley reads HFITG advisory. Shortly before 4 a.m., the networks begin putting Florida back in undecided category. 7 a.m. — "Good morning. We do not have a winner." — Katie Couric, opening NBC's "Today" show.

A Special Message to the Members of How Fresh Is This Guy: