Polling firm admits fabricating data as 'social experiment'

Summarised from Guardian World's report · Updated 21 Oct, 18:57 · Archive

US polling firm Wedgewood Polls has admitted to fabricating survey data picked up by national media outlets.

Wedgewood Polls admitted on Tuesday to fabricating data in surveys that were published by national US media outlets, claiming the project was designed as a 'wake-up call' for the polling industry. The firm said its fraudulent data 'were given instant credibility across national media platforms' and that the incident highlighted 'a systemic breakdown in media vetting and data aggregation'.

Publications that had reproduced the fabricated surveys included Newsweek, the Hill, Breitbart, the Daily Beast and the Washington Examiner. The firm's data had also been included in polling databases by the New York Times, Nate Silver, VoteHub and FiftyPlusOne, according to the investigation conducted by FiftyPlusOne that prompted the admission. Following the disclosure, Decision Desk HQ removed 17 polls from its databases and the New York Times removed all Wedgewood polls from its tracking project.

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• Pollster admits to fabricating data for ‘social experiment’ to expose flaws of industryWedgewood Polls said project was designed to highlight lack of scrutiny over polling sector by mainstream media A polling firm has admitted to using fabricated data in surveys that were picked up by national media outlets in the US, claiming the project was a “social experiment” designed to expose the lack of scrutiny over the sector. Wedgewood Polls released a statement on Tuesday on social media, after the polling and election analysis site FiftyPlusOne reached out for comment on an investigation it had conducted into their surveys and data. Continue reading...Guardian World · 21 Oct, 18:12

In this story: Wedgewood Polls · FiftyPlusOne · New York Times · Newsweek · the Hill · Breitbart

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