"Cliffhanger!"

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In the final decades of the 20th century, traditional news faced increasing competition from the “new news” — cable TV, call-in talk radio shows, websites and blogs. Reporters recorded the candidates’ gestures, analyzed every move they made, and uploaded stories and tape all day, feeding the voracious appetite of a 24/7 industry that only knew “now.”

In the 2000 election, faulty polling and the rush to be first in a 24-hour news cycle led to the media’s inaccurate prediction that Democrat Al Gore had won the key state of Florida — and the presidency. Broadcasters backtracked and said Republican George W. Bush had won. Gore won the national popular vote but lost the election in the Electoral College. The close race wasn’t decided until a month later.