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2 clusters · 24 sources · 3 days · First seen 6 days ago · Last updated 4 days ago

Wedgewood Polls data fabrication scandal

Overview

Wedgewood Polls admitted to fabricating nearly all of its published survey data during an election cycle, characterizing the deception as an “experimental project” and a “wake-up call” regarding vulnerabilities in the political polling industry. The firm claimed the goal was to demonstrate how easily unverified figures could be integrated into mainstream political narratives.

The fabrication was uncovered by researchers at FiftyPlusOne, who identified discrepancies in raw data from a Mississippi Senate survey. The fallout has been significant, with major news outlets such as The New York Times removing the firm’s surveys from their databases. Specifically, The New York Times has removed 15 surveys released by the firm between June and October.

Political figures reported tangible consequences, including Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow, who stated that a fraudulent poll showing her support in the single digits negatively impacted her donations and volunteer morale. Fabricated data also reportedly influenced the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary results regarding candidate Francesca Hong.

In response to the incident, FCC Chair Brendan Carr warned broadcasters about the surge in fake polls designed to interfere with electoral processes and urged improved vetting to avoid amplifying hoaxes. This incident follows a similar scandal in August involving a firm called Median Strategies, which also admitted to fabricating polls.

Entities

Mallory McMorrow · FiftyPlusOne · The New York Times · Wedgewood Polls · Mike Johnson

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 9 SOURCES] Wedgewood Polls admitted that most of its published survey data was fabricated. www.libertynation.com · www.enca.com · www.upday.com · www.world-today-news.com · freerepublic.com · +4 more
[● 8 SOURCES] The fabrication was intended as an experiment to test the vulnerability of the polling industry. www.libertynation.com · www.enca.com · www.upday.com · www.world-today-news.com · hotair.com · +3 more
[● 6 SOURCES] The New York Times removed 15 Wedgewood Polls surveys from its database. www.enca.com · www.upday.com · www.world-today-news.com · freerepublic.com · hotair.com · +1 more
[● 5 SOURCES] FiftyPlusOne identified discrepancies in Wedgewood’s data through an investigation. www.libertynation.com · www.enca.com · www.upday.com · www.world-today-news.com · www.n-tv.de
[● 5 SOURCES] Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow stated the fake polls caused her donations to dry up and volunteers to be devastated. www.enca.com · www.upday.com · www.world-today-news.com · hotair.com · www.n-tv.de
[● 3 SOURCES] Median Strategies also admitted to fabricating polls earlier in the year. www.libertynation.com · www.enca.com · www.n-tv.de
[○ 1 SOURCE] FCC Chairman Brendan Carr reported a surge in fake and suppression polls intended to interfere with elections. www.enca.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The fake polls showed candidate Francesca Hong ahead in the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary. www.world-today-news.com

Timeline

4 days ago

[POLITICS] 11 sources
Wedgewood Polls admits to fabricating US election data
Wedgewood Polls admitted to fabricating most of its survey data as an “experiment” to test polling industry vulnerabilities, impacting US campaigns and leading The New York Times to remove 15 surveys.
6 days ago

[POLITICS] 14 sources
Wedgewood Polls admits to fabricating data in media ‘experiment’
Wedgewood Polls admitted to fabricating election data as a social experiment, impacting several political campaigns and forcing major news outlets to retract or remove the fraudulent surveys.

Sources

arstechnica.com · bild.de · enca.com · fpini.org · freerepublic.com · hotair.com · independent.co.uk · instapundit.com · justthenews.com · legalinsurrection.com · libertynation.com · n-tv.de · newsbusters.org · nypost.com · offthepress.com · patriotfetch.com · singtaousa.com · svobodny-svet.cz · t-online.de · tag24.com · thelibertydaily.com · upday.com · wnd.com · world-today-news.com

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history