CNN addresses election mistakes
Net will remain with Voter News Service
In a report examining election night snafus, CNN concluded that it will remain with Voter News Service -- the news consortium that provides exit polling to the major news outlets -- only if significant changes are made.
Regardless of improvements at VNS, the 24-hour news network plans to fund a second source for election data to serve as a backup system.
Announcement comes just two weeks before network news toppers will be called to Washington to testify before a congressional panel over botched election calls.
Eason Jordan, chief news executive and president of newsgathering, CNN News Group, told Daily Variety that CNN is willing to "do and spend whatever it takes to protect the credibility of the CNN brand."
Sources estimate that it would cost about $2 million to establish the sort of backup system that CNN envisions. Unless VNS initiates a major upgrade and modernization of its technical capabilities and takes additional steps to improve its systems, CNN will withdraw its membership from the consortium.While the report blames VNS for its election night errors, Jordan said that the news cabler takes ultimate responsibility for the early calls that turned out to be inaccurate. "In the end, CNN is responsible for what CNN puts on its air, even if the information available to us is flawed," said Jordan.
NBC, CBS and ABC have already issued reports.
