Abstract
On election night every two years, the three major television networks provide extensive coverage of the election returns. Recently this coverage has engendered considerable controversy because of the timing of election predictions and the use of exit poll data. These questions raise important questions about competing democratic principles. And yet there are other ways in which television's election night coverage is equally controversial for civic education but which have escaped public scrutiny. As social scientists we became interested in what citizens can learn about the electoral process from watching election night coverage. What is the nature and logical structure of explanations which the networks offer of electoral outcomes? To what extent are the presentations informed by social science research which is widely available to the public?
Published Version
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