Date: 28th November 2000

Canada Learns Lesson From U.S. Election Coverage


Perhaps wishing to avoid the same sort of criticism that bedeviled their American counterparts, Canadian anchors reporting on results of federal elections Monday night waited well beyond the time that a Liberal Party victory seemed a foregone conclusion to announce results. At 10:14 p.m. the CBC's Peter Mansbridge commented, "The finger may be itchy, but we're not pulling the trigger yet on calling a Liberal majority." Rival CTV, however, did so two minutes later. Mansbridge finally pulled the trigger at 10:26. Comparing the election coverage to the U.S. networks' two weeks ago, the Toronto Globe & Mail commented today (Tuesday): "Canadian broadcasters opted last night for analysis instead of premature announcements."

Source: Studio Briefing