By Doug Usher, Advisor to the M.S. in Political Analytics Program, Columbia University School of Professional Studies
Kabir Khanna, Ph.D., has built an amazing career in political analytics.
He appears on air and produces stories on elections, polling, and politics as Director of Election Analytics and Technical Systems at CBS News. He also manages the network’s Data Desk, projecting races on election nights and generating real-time insights into the American electorate that are aired to millions of viewers.
His work includes building and validating statistical models to forecast turnout and estimate results from partial returns.
We were thrilled to have him join us at our third annual Political Analytics Conference in April. As you can imagine, he’s hitting his busy season now. To give you a taste of his career in political analytics, Khanna shared with us what a typical work day looks like for him five weeks out from Election Day:
- 10 a.m.: Daily all-hands editorial call to review important stories of the day and coverage plans across all platforms.
- 10:30 a.m.: Review newly deployed features on the election interactive touchscreen to visualize different midterm scenarios and discuss the testing plan with the team.
- 11:30 a.m.: Half-hour huddle with the digital/web team to review how election results will be displayed online and answer questions about data flow and estimates.
- 1 p.m.: Run a newsroom training session on responsibly interpreting and reporting on polls. Got a good question about when a lead is “within the margin of error.”
- 2:30 p.m.: Meet with counterparts at other news organizations about exit poll methodology and design considerations.
- 3:30 p.m.: Interview a potential consultant hire to assist with race calls. Had a great chat and shared decision desk war stories!
- 4:30 p.m.: Discuss election-night expectations with the lead anchor and executive producer, including the timing of exit polls and specific language, such as when to call a race a “projection.”
- 5:30 p.m.: Company happy hour. :)
Read more about our M.S. in Political Analytics program to see how you can start a career in this exciting field.
Views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Columbia University School of Professional Studies or Columbia University.
About the Program
The Columbia University M.S. in Political Analytics program provides students quantitative skills in an explicitly political context, facilitating crosswalk with nontechnical professionals and decision-makers—and empowers students to become decision-makers themselves.
The 36-credit program is available part-time and full-time, on-campus, and online. Learn more about the program here.
For general information and admissions questions, please call 212-854-9666 or email politicalanalytics [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (politicalanalytics[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu).
