Knight Ridder and MSNBC to Conduct Major Series of Polls and Analysis of Presidential Election Voters in Key Swing States
August 30 2004 - 7:05PM
PR Newswire (US)
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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