You lost; get over it!

[me]

Ya know, when I got this in an email I wondered about it but wasn't sure, well now I am. 

http://www.snopes.com/media/goofs/election.asp


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Early Returns
Claim:   Two television stations aired 2012 election "results" early.

   TRUE

Origins:   The effort to keep apace with the modern 24/7 news cycle can at times cause news outlets to goof. Such was the case with a couple of news stations that in mid-October 2012 inadvertently publicly broadcast graphics they believed they were merely testing in-house.

Normally, such mistakes are merely chuckled over before being dismissed in favor of the real news of the day. However, the nature of what was broadcast by each of those two stations made at least a few people wonder if the fix wasn't in for a particular candidate because each displayed results for the 2012 presidential election, an event then over two weeks away.

Election results

The first to do so was KPHO, the CBS affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona. On 19 October 2012, those watching The People's Court saw for 17 seconds a graphic at the bottom of the screen which stated President Barack Obama had been re-elected, winning 43% of the vote nationwide to Govenor Mitt Romney's 40%. (The graphic did not account for the other 17%.)

Ed Munson, KPHO's General Manager, said of the occurrence:
On Friday, Oct. 19, during a test of KPHO CBS 5's election returns software, we inadvertently aired a test graphic for about 15 seconds in an episode of Peoples Court. The mistake was caught quickly and taken off the screen. With the election about two weeks away, the TV station routinely tests its equipment to ensure our viewers have the very latest results on election night. We regret the error and apologize to any viewer who was confused by the mistake.
The second station to err in similar fashion was WCPO, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio. Also on 19 October 2012, it mistakenly aired a graphic intended for in-house testing, one that announced President Obama had won in Ohio by a 46% to 39% margin. (The Indiana graphic was an exact copy of the Ohio one, save for the name of the state.)

Ohio election results

As with KPHO, WCPO didn't have the inside track on whom the voters will favor, let alone by how much. Both instances were attributable to station error.

Even so, it will be interesting to compare the "results" broadcast over two weeks earlier with the actual 2012 returns.

Barbara "interesting Times" Mikkelson


Last updated:   5 November 2012

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2012 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.

   
Sources:

    Schortgen, Kenneth Jr.
      "Television Stations in Ohio and Arizona Announce Obama Victory Before Election."
        Examiner.com.   22 October 2012.

    The Daily Caller.
      "CBS News Affiliate Calls 2012 Presidential Race For Obama Weeks Ahead of Election."
        21 October 2012.

   


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Read more at http://www.snopes.com/media/goofs/election.asp#EVzSzxCG1AadQ3Xt.99

[Bo D]

Ya know, when I got this in an email I wondered about it but wasn't sure, well now I am. 

http://www.snopes.com/media/goofs/election.asp

BFD! 

[followsthewolf]

She has no idea how to evaluate even simple research.

Her opinions are so hair-brained that it's nearly impossible to understand any point in her post.

Not worth the work to unscramble the egg.

No wonder an attempt to organize a business was doomed to ultimate failure.

[The Troll]

She has no idea how to evaluate even simple research.

Her opinions are so hair-brained that it's nearly impossible to understand any point in her post.

Not worth the work to unscramble the egg.

No wonder an attempt to organize a business was doomed to ultimate failure.

  Running your life on emails you get from the internet is like running your life with a crystal ball.   

[me]

BFD! 

Would you have said that had it been Bush or Romney it turned out to be true about? 

[me]

  Running your life on emails you get from the internet is like running your life with a crystal ball.   

That was a confirmation from Snopes that it was true Turd Blossom. 

[me]

She has no idea how to evaluate even simple research.

Her opinions are so hair-brained that it's nearly impossible to understand any point in her post.

Not worth the work to unscramble the egg.

No wonder an attempt to organize a business was doomed to ultimate failure.

I know how you would evaluate it if it had been Romney rather than Obama.

[Bo D]

Would you have said that had it been Bush or Romney it turned out to be true about?

Again. BFD

[followsthewolf]

And, of course, THAT is exactly what she does not understand, and, sadly, never will.

Couldn't pass a simple undergrad logic class.

[The Troll]

That was a confirmation from Snopes that it was true Turd Blossom. 

  OK, OK, I'm Turd Blossom and you are Shit Head.     Fair is fair Shit Head. 

[Locutus]

Again. BFD

You're being quite succinct today.   

[me]

So now all of a sudden Snopes isn't a good source for checking on things.   Ya know if it were a test of equipment it could have been done with generic names so don't even go there.  Ya'll get more ridiculous everyday. 

[Locutus]

So now all of a sudden Snopes isn't a good source for checking on things.   Ya know if it were a test of equipment it could have been done with generic names so don't even go there.  Ya'll get more ridiculous everyday. 

I assume you have some conspiracy theory to put forth based on the accidental airing of the test?  If so, state it rather than beating around the bush. 

[The Troll]

So now all of a sudden Snopes isn't a good source for checking on things.   Ya know if it were a test of equipment it could have been done with generic names so don't even go there.  Ya'll get more ridiculous everyday.

                                            and    Old Red.

[followsthewolf]

So now all of a sudden Snopes isn't a good source for checking on things.   Ya know if it were a test of equipment it could have been done with generic names so don't even go there.  Ya'll get more ridiculous everyday.

Ya dumb ass. All Snopes did was to fact check what happened. They reported the facts.

If anything, Snopes proved itself to be an independent fact checker.

Snopes is not responsible for some technician's choice of names and percentages.

Other pundits hit it right on the nose with the same predictions.

What the hell is wrong with your wiring.

I shouldn't even be explaining this to you -- if you had a brain that worked, you would have understood it for yourself.