U.S. TV news networks aim for credibility, not speed, on election night

FILE PHOTO: Republican supporters react after tv networks announced that Texas Governor George W. Bush won the U.S. election in Austin, Texas, November 8, 2000. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

(Reuters) - In preparing for election night, some top U.S. television news executives see a cautionary tale in a notorious November evening two decades ago.

After major networks projected Vice President Al Gore the winner in the crucial state of Florida, they pivoted in the wee hours to calling his Republican rival George W. Bush the next president. The margin was so slim, Gore conceded, then took it back an hour later. The election wouldn’t be decided for more than a month. The only loss that night was the networks’ credibility.