Ohio Dailies Team Up For Statewide Election Polling

By: Joe Strupp Eight Ohio newspapers, including several that have been involved in a statewide content-sharing alliance for months, will participate in a joint election polling program that will result in three campaign-related surveys to be shared among the papers, according to Cox Ohio Publishing.

The program will bring together the papers and the University of Cincinnati?s Institute for Policy Research to release ?The Ohio Newspaper Poll,? a "special initiative to provide unprecedented coverage of the most comprehensive, timely, and in-depth Ohio election polling results," Cox said in a release.

The participating newspapers include; the Akron Beacon Journal, The Repository of Canton, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, The Blade of Toledo, and The Youngstown Vindicator. Among those papers, the Dayton Daily News is owned by Cox.

Also running the poll results and stories are three additional Cox Ohio newspapers: The Springfield News-Sun, The Middletown Journal and the Journal News of Hamilton.

?All eyes are on Ohio during this election season because Ohio is a traditional battleground state and, more so, because Ohio is considered by many as the bellwether state for presidential elections,? Kevin Riley, Cox Ohio Publishing?s Editor-In-Chief, said in a statement. Riley is also editor of the Dayton Daily News and one of the organizers of the statewide effort.

?By bringing together the resources of the state?s eight major dailies and publishing results in a total of 11 major dailies ? Ohio?s newspaper publishers have the opportunity to provide what will be the most comprehensive news report of the survey?s results to a combined Ohio readership of more than 4,500,000 readers,? Riley added.

Each of the participating newspapers will publish results in their Sunday editions on Sept. 21, Oct. 12, and Oct. 26.

"The University of Cincinnati?s Institute for Policy Research will conduct three surveys focusing on the key issues that are on the minds of Ohio?s likely voters this November," the release stated. "These 2,400 Ohio interviews will provide comprehensive insights on the following issues: the economy, health care, the environment, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and homeland security, as well as responses to the presidential candidates? stances on the issues."

A related initiative also announced is ?Eye on Ohio,? described as "a weekly report from a team of reporters at all eight publications that scrutinize, fact-check, and report on all presidential election television, radio, and newspaper ads to ensure that readers ? and Ohio voters ? have access to accurate election information, regardless of what the presidential candidates? respective advertising may say."