ABC Wins Iowa Gallup Award for Poll Coverage

“The Numbers” blog has been recognized with the 2008 Iowa Gallup Award for Excellent Journalism Using Polls, a prize given annually by the University of Iowa in conjunction with The Gallup Organization to recognize the effective use of polls in news reporting.

The award notes our efforts across the year to dissect the 2008 election polls and more, with more than 150 posted items on subjects ranging from economic discontent to gun control, women in the workforce, the war in Iraq, polling methodology and other topics.

“‘The Numbers’ provided an exemplary public service with its illuminating reports on polling results," Jim Clifton, chairman and CEO of Gallup, said in the university’s announcement, released earlier today. "Important issues throughout the historic election year were meticulously investigated and clearly explained to their broad audience in articles that highlighted the value of polling when it was well executed and chastised practitioners when it was not."

ABC News won the inaugural Iowa Gallup Award in 2005 for our "Iraq: Where Things Stand" and "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" broadcasts, based on our national polls in those countries. Subsequent winners were The Washington Post in 2006 for its series, “Being a Black Man,” and The Des Moines Register for its Iowa caucus pre-election polling in 2007.

ABC last month received two Emmy nominations for its 2008 poll in Iraq. We’ve received seven Emmy nominations and two Emmy awards since 2004, the first and only to cite public opinion polls.

The Iowa Gallup award will be given Nov. 11 at the Gallup World Headquarters in Washington, D.C.