Today's Beat the Press topics

The most remarkable thing about all the Wednesday Morning Quarterbacking that came out of the US Senate race exit polls was ... there weren't any exit polls.

At least none that fit the commonly accepted definition of exit poll used within the polling community - that is, an in-person survey conducted with voters leaving polling places that asks in-depth questions about who they voted for and why.

Sure, there were several telephone surveys of voter opinion, including some that were taken the day of the election. But Emily argues this week that the data wasn't either reliable or conclusive enough to support the sweeping conclusions and grand generalizations that political pundits ascribed to Scott Brown's victory.

Take a look and see if you agree.

That's our first topic on today's Beat the Press.

No. 2 - Should the National Enquirer receive consideration for one of journalism's highest honors - the Pulitzer Prize - for its coverage of the John Edwards love child scandal?

No. 3 - In less than a month, four of the top religion reporters in the US left the God beat, underscoring the rapid and alarming decline in reporting on matters of faith in the mainstream media. Can we understand our world if we don't understand the fundamental religious beliefs that affect so much of human behavior?

Panel peeves are the 4th segment.

The panel: Emily hosting, Callie, Joe, Dan, and Boston University College of Communication Dean Tom Fiedler in the guest panelist chair.