| Voters probably figured their votes would not be counted anyway, so why vote. O�Meary clearly expresses her disappointment in the media industry for their irresponsible reports. My feelings on this topic remain as strong as they did two years ago. I, myself, and my entire family is very involved in politics and keep a close watch on what is happening locally and nationwide in this realm. I will not disclose who I would have voted for had I been of legal voting age; however, I will express the frustration I felt that night not knowing who was going to be our next president. Not to mention, I remember having to write an essay for school that night about the percentages of voters, popular vote, the Electoral College, and any other factors important in determining the winner. This essay was difficult to write without a finally tally, to say the least! It is the media�s job to accurately inform the public of issues important to all of us. I agree with Bart, Hickey, and O�Meary in that the coverage was very disappointing and I did lose some respect for the networks judgments. After all, the public relies on the media for breaking news and the most current information, not the quickest inaccurate information. The arguments made by each individual were definitely valid. Bart�s interesting statement about the news employee being a relative of the Bush family is rather mysterious. This coincides with my feelings on the Bush family. The disputed state happened to be Florida, where Jeb Bush was the governor. I find that to be kind of coincidental and a little misleading. Also, the fact that Representative Tauzin accuses the media of having a liberal bias is rather interesting, considering he has a conservative bias. Hickey�s timeline of events on election night and his vivid account of what occurred that night made his arguments more trustworthy and credible. The Dan Rather quote referenced by him was basically an apology on behalf of the network for the false information. |
| The statement was to insure the public knew the actual final results were then being reported. This source supported my view because it showed how the media was irresponsible when reporting that night. In regard to the news, accuracy is more important than punctuality to me. O�Meara�s reflection that many people do not realize Florida votes in two time zones was incredibly intriguing. As sad as I am to report it, I was unaware of this factor. It was extremely interesting for me to learn this new information. Also, the fact that eighteen million viewers were wrongly informed on the NBC network alone is amazing. Finally, the coverage of the 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush should have been reported on more carefully. Hopefully, the networks, reporters, and analysts learned their lesson and will not make the same mistake twice. This election will always be remembered in history as the never-ending controversy that will never be solved. Who knows what would have happened had events occurred differently? No one will ever know. |
| Works Cited Bart, Peter. �The Election from Hell�. Variety 2000. 28 Oct. 2002. Hickey, Neil. �The Big Mistake.� Columbia Journalism Review 2001. 28 Oct. 2002. O�Meara, Patricia. �Media Culpas�. Insight on the News 2000. Oct 26. 2002. |
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