Contest reports - is '5 by 9' a legit report?

YES! - the FCC says any signal report is a good signal report

Radio hams can continue to give any signal reports that they please. This as the FCC denies a petition filed by a Texas ham that sought to regulate the way signal reports are given in the Amateur service, especially during contests.

Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, from Amateur Radio Newsline says the FCC has acted very quickly on a petition filed this past May 6, by Jack Najork, W5FG, concerning signal reports transmitted by amateur stations that are participating in contests.

Specifically, Najork had request that the Commission sanction the American Radio Relay League for not taking any action to prohibit or discourage what he termed as “false
5-9 blanket reporting.”

In the end the Commission said that it does not regulate amateur contests. Rather, they are self-administered by the amateur radio community. Based on this, the FCC has dismissed Najork petition and has told him that his concerns should be directed to the various contest sponsors.

And before you ask, this is not some sort of belated April Fool's joke. The petition had been assigned as Docket number DA No. 09-1378 by the FCC.

You can read the entire dismissal order for yourself at
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1378A1.doc