Sunday, December 17, 2000

Election Night was a journalistic disaster for the major television networks. The anchors first awarded Florida to Gore and then to Bush, calling him president-elect, and then took it back, saying Florida was too close to call. Summing up, one TV critic compared the anchors to "lemmings cascading over the cliffs together."

While the experience was humbling for the anchors, the roller-coaster night made great television and resulted in a huge ratings spike for the networks.

Best Election Night anchor quote: Tom Brokaw, who observed, "We don't just have egg on our face. We have omelet all over our suits."

Most colorful expressions -- by far: Dan Rather, who called the race "jar lid tight" and "hot enough to peel house paint." He also stated: "To err is human, but to really foul up requires a computer."

Most apologetic: Judy Woodruff, who said, "We've been saying all night that we didn't know what was going to happen, and we've proved it. Could you pass the crow?"

Most stable anchor in the storm: Peter Jennings, who remained composed in the face of election chaos and a small fire sparked by a studio light.

Best prop: The erasable grease board and marker used by NBC talking head Tim Russert to vividly illustrate the ups and downs of Election Night 2000.

King of the Hill: Jim Lehrer of public television staged a coup by moderating all the presidential debates. He was praised for his even-handed questioning, but drew some criticism for handling Gore and Bush too gently.

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