Survey Says?

2158690It may feel like a lifetime since the midterm elections, what with thanksgiving, the OJ fiasco, and the great munchkin kerfuffle, but in reality we went to the polls less than three weeks ago. And we're still trying to make sense of what happened on that day – not to mention how what happened on that day was covered. The latest attempt comes from the Project For Excellence in Journalism, which has released a report that interprets "the performance of 32 different news outlet[s] -- 18 Web sites, 6 stand-alone blogs, four broadcast networks, three cable channels, and NPR, from 2 p.m. through 11 p.m. [on Election Day] and beyond if it took that long to call the House."

So what did PEJ find? That there is more value in "a quick summary of key results for those wanting the headlines and deep veins of data that users can mine on their own" than "rich narrative story telling and snap punditry." That news organizations still aren't sure what to do with multimedia. That exit polls are more important than ever, because regular citizens can now be their own editors. And that when the system works, as it largely did on Nov. 7 (yes, there were exceptions), bloggers don't have much to do. Or to put it another way: "Despite the intrigue they brought to the problems and media mishaps of the 2004 election, bloggers were caught somewhat empty handed by the relatively error-free election of 2006."

We're hurt. Anyway, the report is here, if you want to have at it.