Major US television networks were criticised at a congressional hearing today for their 2000 Election Night mistakes that left people worldwide confused about who would be the next US president.
The heads of Fox News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News and ABC News all conceded they erred with faulty projections about Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush that caused networks to declare first one and then the other winner before saying the election was too close to call.
But they insisted they did so without political bias and said they have implemented reforms of their own to try to avoid a repeat of such an occurence.
Many of the executives embraced a proposal on Capitol Hill to have all polls close simultaneously nationwide but spoke out against any attempt to dictate how they cover elections.
"The Constitution protects us against unwarranted interference from government but we, like you, are accountable to the most important constituency in America, the citizens of this great nation," Mr Andrew Heyward, president of CBS News, said in a prepared statement.
The hearing by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee could lead to voluntary agreements on how the networks project future winners and limited legislation on how Americans vote.
Committee chairman Mr Billy Tauzin, a Louisiana Republican, has said he will not seek any restrictions on the networks' freedom of speech.
Reuters