Wedgewood Polls admits fabricating survey data after FiftyPlusOne investigation
Photo: The Guardian USWedgewood Polls, a polling firm, admitted on Tuesday that it fabricated data in surveys that national US media outlets had picked up, calling the project a "social experiment." It posted a statement on social media after the polling and analysis site FiftyPlusOne contacted it about an investigation into its data. Wedgewood said the aim was to show weak oversight and a low barrier to entry in political polling. FiftyPlusOne said it received a credible tip with evidence, ran an identical poll against Wedgewood's back-end data, and found unnaturally clean samples matching Mississippi demographics, impossible user IDs, scrambled timestamps and outdated serial numbers. Wedgewood had given two names, Jack Sims and Andrew Prater, and had collected donor money for crowd-funded polls. Newsweek, the Hill, Breitbart, the Daily Beast and the Washington Examiner reproduced its surveys. After the admission, Decision Desk HQ said it removed 17 polls.
Left-leaning coverage, represented by The Guardian US, leads with the admission and Wedgewood's claim about weak media scrutiny, listing outlets and databases that used the data. Right-leaning outlets National Review and the Daily Wire call it a scandal; the Daily Wire details FiftyPlusOne's findings, and National Review argues for skepticism rather than dismissing all polls. Alternative / independent outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and right-leaning outlets had.
How the sides differ Left sources emphasize the admission and media vetting failures; right sources stress FiftyPlusOne's evidence and the need for skepticism; alternative sources have not covered it.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
The Guardian US leads with Wedgewood's admission and its claim of a 'social experiment', quoting its statement and listing the media outlets and polling databases that used the data.
Not covering this story. None of the alternative or independent outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.
National Review and the Daily Wire call it a scandal; the Daily Wire details FiftyPlusOne's investigation, while National Review argues for skeptical appraisal of polls rather than ignoring them.