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Journalism of Courage
US President Bush scored a symbolic victory on Tuesday, capturing the first Election Day votes in a tiny New Hampshire hamlet whose residents traditionally cast the first ballots in the US presidential race.
Voters in Dixville Notch, about 25 km from the Canadian border, backed Bush over Democratic challenger John Kerry by a margin of 19 to 7, election officials said, while Independent candidate Ralph Nader received no votes.
Located in New Hampshire’s northern White Mountains, the tourist destination has traditionally been among the first to cast ballots in the US presidential election. But its quadrennial claim to fame lost some of its shine this year as more than two dozen states offered citizens the opportunity to vote early. The town’s entire voting population comprises 11 registered Republicans, two registered Democrats and 13 Independents.
Networks wary
NEW YORK: With memories of their botched calls in the 2000 presidential race still embarrassingly fresh, the major news networks say they are under increased pressure to get it right when they declare a winner tonight. But never before has getting it right posed such a challenge.
The networks have devised a system to avoid a repeat of 2000, when Florida was called for Al Gore, then for George Bush and then, in the wee hours, for neither.
Mahathir muses
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former PM Mahathir Mohamad said it would be ‘‘a disaster’’ if George Bush was re-elected in the Presidential election. Urging US Muslims to back John Kerry, he said Kerry was unlikely to repeat Bush’s mistake of alienating Muslims if he won. —Agencies
