Pollster admits to fabricating data for ‘social experiment’ to expose flaws of industry
Wedgewood Polls said project was designed to highlight lack of scrutiny over polling sector by mainstream media
TL;DR
- Wedgewood Polls admitted to using fabricated data in its surveys.
- The firm stated the project was a "social experiment" to expose flaws in the political polling industry.
- Fake data was published by outlets including Newsweek, the Hill, Breitbart, the Daily Beast, and the Washington Examiner.
- Major organizations like the New York Times and Nate Silver included Wedgewood's results in their polling databases.
- Following the admission, affected media and analysis sites removed the fraudulent polls.
- Prior to the admission, journalists had raised questions about Wedgewood's legitimacy due to inaccurate polls and lack of transparency.
- A similar instance involved an anonymous website, Median Strategies, which also admitted to releasing fake election polling as a social experiment.
- The incidents highlight concerns about media vetting, data aggregation, and the ease with which unverified information can spread.
- Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow reported that fake poll numbers negatively impacted her campaign, causing donations to dry up and volunteers to be devastated.