A sham polling firm publicly confessed to pumping out fake polls after it was caught fabricating data by election nerds at FiftyPlusOne, which had been poised to publish an investigation.
asserted
which → confess → investigation
Wedgewood Polls, which released a poll over the summer that Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow blamed for the downfall of her US Senate bid, claimed it released fake data as a social experiment.
asserted
it → release → experiment
“Having previously worked in the polling and research sector, we watched as the public’s trust in polling eroded alongside a rise in unverified, low-quality methodology,” the group said in a statement posted to X.
“We wanted to test a simple hypothesis: How easy is it for an entirely fabricated polling firm to gain traction, be taken seriously, and expose how little scrutinization exists in media and public commentary?” it added.
uncertain
it → work → media
McMorrow claimed that a survey from Wedgewood Polls over the summer that showed her support imploding into the single digits was a key part of the reason why she decided to drop out of the race.
asserted
she → claim → race
She claimed that after that poll was released, donations “dried up,” volunteers for her campaign were dealt a blow to morale, and she faced distracting questions from reporters about when she planned to drop out.
asserted
she → claim → reporters
“Sure, a point was proven,” McMorrow said after the revelation.
asserted
McMorrow → prove → revelation
“Polling is broken.
asserted
Polling → break → ?
But tens of thousands of people poured their hearts, time, energy, hard-earned money into something they believed in — for a year-and-a-half, and it was treated like a game.”
asserted
it → pour → game
“Our volunteers gave their all.
asserted
volunteers → give → all
I felt like I had let so many of them down.”
asserted
I → feel → them
Recently, a survey from Wedgewood Polls caused a stir by claiming that Mississippi Democratic Senate hopeful Scott Colom was dead even with incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.).
asserted
Colom → cause → Smith
The Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC announced this week that it is pumping another $1.2 million behind Colom.
asserted
it → announce → Colom
But spokesperson Lauren French told The Post that the super PAC “absolutely” did not rely on that poll for its decision.
asserted
PAC → tell → decision
“We don’t make spending or strategic decisions based on external polling,” French said.
asserted
French → make → polling
Wedgewood Polls said its goal was “never intended to sway an election or permanently mislead the public.”
asserted
goal → say → public
It claimed that it conducted one legitimate poll in Nebraska.
asserted
it → claim → Nebraska
“[I]t was designed as a wake-up call,” the group said.
asserted
group → design → call
“If a fictional entity run by a small group of industry veterans can be integrated into major polling averages and cited by major news organizations, the standards for how polling data is vetted, aggregated, and reported must change.”
asserted
data → run → organizations
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr put broadcasters on blast over the revelations and warned them against failing to vet fake polls.
asserted
Carr → put → polls
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
asserted
Report → start → news
“The FCC takes these issues seriously,” he wrote on X. “Broadcasters are prohibited by the terms of their federal licenses from engaging in News Distortion or promoting Broadcast Hoaxes.
asserted
Broadcasters → take → Hoaxes
“It is important that broadcasters comply with their public interest obligations.”
asserted
broadcasters → comply → obligations
Wedgewood Polls boasted that it had tricked key polling aggregators, including The New York Times, FiftyPlusOne, and VoteHub.
asserted
it → boast → Times
“When Wedgewood first appeared, I reached out to their head pollster to try to learn more about them.
asserted
I → appear → them
We spoke on the phone for about 15 minutes,” VoteHub’s head of data science Zachary Donnini posted on X.
asserted
head → speak → science
“He told me he was a college student at Boston University.”
asserted
he → tell → University
“A few years ago, I was a college student following politics as a hobby myself, so I try to give people in that position the benefit of the doubt,” he added.
asserted
he → follow → doubt
“It’s disappointing to see how this has unfolded, because it’s going to be a hell of a lot harder for the next college kid.”
asserted
it → ’ → kid
The revelations about Wedgewood Polls come months after Median Strategies got caught faking surveys in the Los Angeles mayoral and Wisconsin gubernatorial primaries.
asserted
Strategies → come → primaries
In August, Median Strategies claimed it had been engaging in a “short-term social experiment.”
asserted
it → claim → experiment
The Aporia
