• American Journalism Review, Friday, October 31, 2008 9:30 AM

The polls strongly suggest that the Democrats are in for a very good day next Tuesday, and the result is news media coverage that basically says this contest is all but over.

Yet, polls are just polls. They are only snapshots of reality at a specific moment and can change quickly. Shocks do happen. Truman did defeat Dewey. Conventional wisdom was utterly wrong in the early stages of this election.

To maintain their credibility with the public at a time when their industry desperately needs it, the news media should remember that they have been wrong before.

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