STUMP: media and politics

First Things First

Let's start with the facts. By the end of this week, a number of journalists are going to leave Poynter with a solid, self-made, comprehensive roadmap for covering the 2004 elections. But before we start planning, says Chip Scanlan, here are some things we need to know:

1. We procrastinate. People in general, and journalists especially, on tasks both large and small.
2. There is a simple, concrete, easily repeatable method of brilliantly accomplishing these tasks, which David Allen, the author of this method, calls "natural planning."
3. Any task requiring more than one action to accomplish could benefit from a natural plan.

So what is this natural plan?

Networks will play wait, see

After being burned several times on poll results, it appears that networks have decided to play it close to the vest and direct viewers to their morning shows rather than try to determine something in the middle of the night. Whether this actually works or simply drives viewers to cable news is yet to be seen.

With roughly 2.5 million absentee ballots, several hundred thousand not yet counted, the morning shows could have just as difficult of a time determining a winner.