Knight Ridder and MSNBC to Conduct Major Series of Polls and Analysis of Presidential Election Voters in Key Swing States Will Provide Unique, Ground Level Insights Into Voter Sentiment in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Missouri and Other Key States WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Knight Ridder and MSNBC today announced they will partner with leading independent polling firm Mason-Dixon, the nation's most active state by state polling organization, to conduct a substantial series of polls of voters in key swing states in connection with the upcoming presidential election. The MSNBC/Knight Ridder polls by Mason-Dixon will consist of individual statewide surveys of likely presidential election voters. The polls are scheduled to capture voter opinion and reaction to the major milestones of the campaign, including the GOP convention, the presidential debates and the run up to Election Day. The polls will measure voter favorability and voter preference for top presidential candidates who appear on the 2004 general election state ballot. The polls will also include questions aimed at exploring the issues that may determine how undecided voters make up their minds. States included in the poll are Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, among others. Knight Ridder Washington Bureau Chief John Walcott said, "This election is going to be decided in a relative handful of key swing states. The Knight Ridder/MSNBC polls will zero in on voter sentiment in the most important of those battleground states using the nation's leading state-by-state polling firm. We will draw on the expertise of our resident journalists in pivotal states like Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, among many others, adding the national perspective of Knight Ridder's Washington Bureau and MSNBC. This partnership will ensure that our readers and MSNBC viewers get the unique perspective and analysis that our combined news organizations offer." MSNBC President Richard Kaplan said, "We look forward to partnering with Knight Ridder and Mason-Dixon on this major election poll, which will give our viewers tremendous insight into the opinions of undecided voters in the key swing states. Knight Ridder is the perfect partner for these polls, since many of its newspapers are in key battleground states. We are also pleased to be working with Mason-Dixon, generally regarded as the most reliable independent polling firm by members of both political parties." The results of the polls will be published in Knight Ridder newspapers, aired on MSNBC and NBC News programs and will be available on MSNBC.com and Knight Ridder web sites, including http://www.krwashington.com/. Knight Ridder newspapers include The Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Detroit Free Press, St. Paul Pioneer Press, The Charlotte Observer, The Kansas City Star, Akron Beacon Journal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and San Jose Mercury News. Knight Ridder is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with products in print and online. The company publishes 31 daily newspapers in 28 U.S. markets, with a readership of 8.7 million daily and 12.6 million Sunday. Knight Ridder also has investments in a variety of Internet and technology companies and two newsprint companies. The company's Internet operation, Knight Ridder Digital, develops and manages the company's online properties. It is the founder and operator of Real Cities (http://www.realcities.com/), the largest national network of city and regional Web sites in more than 100 U.S. markets. Knight Ridder and Knight Ridder Digital are headquartered in San Jose, California. MSNBC is a joint venture between NBC Universal, a leading provider of news and information, and Microsoft, the leader in personal computer software and a major provider of Internet online services. Built on the worldwide resources of NBC News, MSNBC is a 24-hour cable news network and Internet news service at msnbc.com. Mason-Dixon is an independent polling firm that conducts voter surveys for news media, advocacy groups, trade associations and political action committees. Mason-Dixon is the nation's most active state polling organization, conducting copyrighted public opinion polls for news media organizations in all 50 states. These media clients include over 250 local television affiliates and over 100 daily newspapers. Since 1983, Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. has conducted surveys in every state in the country, on almost every public issue, and tracked every major election and referendum. DATASOURCE: Knight Ridder CONTACT: Jennifer Keenan, +1-646-805-2060, , for Knight Ridder; or Jeremy Gaines of MSNBC, +1-201-583-5362, Web site: http://www.realcities.com/ Web site: http://www.krwashington.com/

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