Early call shames networks Three editions of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, including one stating that Bush is declared winner. The newspapers followed suit, giving Mr Gore enough front pages to decorate the Oval Office should he eventually win through. That's not good journalism.
American journalists take themselves seriously.
The inquests will go on for months. The evidence, however, speaks for itself. Within 45 minutes or so of 7pm Eastern Time, the fierce rivals CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC had each announced that Mr Gore was the victor in the Sunshine State. A Senate race in Washington State was also called prematurely. Problem number one, as Karl Rove, Mr Bush's chief strategist, remarked on CNN, was that the Florida panhandle lies in Central Time, meaning that the polls closed an hour later.