ABC News’ sixth installment of their “Iraq: Where Things Stand” series includes a poll of Iraqi citizens commissioned by ABC News and their international partners the BBC and Japan’s NHK. The poll and the reports are timed to coincide with this week’s testimony by Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker on Capitol Hill.
Reports began airing this weekend on GMA, This Week with George Stephanopoulos and World News Sunday and will continue on air and on ABCNEWS.com.
The press release is after the jump…
ON THE EVE OF THE IRAQ PROGRESS REPORT, ABC NEWS’ “IRAQ: WHERE THINGS STAND” TO ASSESS THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND
ABC News, BBC and NHK Release an Exclusive, National Poll of Iraqis that Reveals Iraqis’ Own Assessments of the Surge
ABC News’ Award-Winning Series to Air on Broadcasts & Platforms Beginning Sunday, September 9
On the eve of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker’s highly anticipated testimony before Congress regarding the war in Iraq, ABC News will again examine how the Iraqi people and the country are faring in its sixth division-wide reporting effort, “Iraq: Where Things Stand.” The comprehensive series, ABC News’ own progress report, will include the results of an exclusive, scientific national poll of Iraqis’ experiences and attitudes, and how they have or have not changed in the six months since the surge of U.S. troops began. “Iraq: Where Things Stand” will begin airing across broadcasts and platforms beginning Sunday, September 9.
The central component of the series is a nationwide public opinion poll of more than 2,200 Iraqis, commissioned by ABC News and its partners BBC and NHK. The national survey provides an essential, independent assessment of living conditions and attitudes among Iraqi citizens, including their views of the effects of the surge in U.S. forces. The poll, ABC News’ fourth in Iraq, was completed in late August, six months after the news division’s last poll there. Together, these two surveys bracket the surge, enabling ABC News to evaluate changes in Iraqis’ attitudes on security, living conditions and Iraq’s future since the surge began.
“Iraq: Where Things Stand” will feature reporting from ABC News’ Terry McCarthy, who has traveled extensively throughout the country both before and during the surge. On the eve of the Petraeus/Crocker assessment and six months after the last installment of the ABC News series, McCarthy will reexamine how Iraqis are dealing with the day-to-day effects of war. Chief White House correspondent Martha Raddatz, just back from her 14th trip to Iraq since the start of the war, will also contribute reporting. Her recent week-long trip has included an interview with President George Bush following his surprise visit to al-Asad Air Base, as well as an extensive one-on-one with General David Petraeus, who revealed that troop reductions could come as early as March.
Reports from “Iraq: Where Things Stand” will begin airing on Sunday, September 9 on the “Good Morning America” weekend, “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” and “World News Sunday” and will continue throughout the week on “Good Morning America,” “World News with Charles Gibson,” and “Nightline.” ABCNEWS.com will include extensive reporting from the series; a selection of online resources, including slideshows and video clips, will complement reporting on ABC News’ broadcasts. The series will also be featured on ABC News Now and ABC News Radio. Results from the poll will be released on Monday, September 10 at 7 a.m., ET.
This marks ABC News’ sixth installment in the comprehensive “Iraq: Where Things Stand” series. ABC News first broadcast the series in November 2003, marking the six-month anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. Other installments aired on the one-year anniversary of the war in March 2004, on the eve of Iraq’s first election in January 2005, in December 2005, and in March 2006 on the fourth anniversary of the invasion. The series has been recognized with four Emmy Awards, including the first to cite a public opinion poll.