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Polling firm Wedgewood admits its midterm polls were fabricated

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 14 outlets, mostly right-leaning (86%).

27 articles in total, 8 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Wedgewood Polls logo with gazebo illustration and tagline 'Your Voice. Our Mission.'
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Wedgewood Polls, a firm whose midterm surveys national outlets cited, said on Tuesday that almost all of its polls were fabricated. It called the project a social experiment meant to test media scrutiny of pollsters. The polling aggregator FiftyPlusOne had questioned its data after a tip, and the firm posted its statement without answering the aggregator’s request for comment, according to RedState. FiftyPlusOne and The New York Times removed the Wedgewood data from their databases, PBS NewsHour reports. Reports differ on who ran the firm. Speaker Mike Johnson said the episode showed that surveys with a Democratic lead were inaccurate.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Wedgewood Polls said that almost all of its midterm polls were fabricated.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Right2Far Right6See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, The New York Times
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Right
    The Washington Times, Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    Just the News, PJ Media, Breitbart News, The Daily Wire, RedState, The Western Journal
  2. Wedgewood said the project was a social experiment to test how easily news outlets would verify an unknown pollster.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    Just the News, Breitbart News, RedState
  3. An aggregator questioned Wedgewood’s data after a tip and its own investigation, and asked the firm for comment before the admission.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire, RedState
  4. Polling aggregators and Nate Silver have removed Wedgewood’s data from their databases.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    The Western Journal
  5. Wedgewood’s polls had been cited by national news outlets and polling aggregators.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Right
    Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    RedState, The Western Journal
  6. Speaker Mike Johnson said the fake polls showed that surveys with a Democratic lead were inaccurate.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The Wedgewood polls were a social experiment.

    Wedgewood says the project was an experiment to expose weak media scrutiny of pollsters. RedState, citing FiftyPlusOne, says the statement came after the aggregator sought comment and the firm did not respond, which suggests exposure was imminent.

  • The scandal shows that polls showing a Democratic lead are inaccurate.

    Speaker Mike Johnson says the fake polls prove that surveys showing a Democratic lead are wrong. Nate Silver, as quoted by the Western Journal, says Wedgewood’s own numbers leaned about one point toward Democrats compared with the consensus, a small effect; the coverage does not say what this means for other polls.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Wedgewood Polls, whose surveys national outlets cited, admitted its polls were fabricated after FiftyPlusOne questioned them. The left stresses media vetting and trust in polling, the center explains the sequence of events, and the right stresses the fallout for midterm polling.

  • the left

    0 outlets · 2 opinion

    The two left headlines frame the case as a failure of media vetting and trust in surveys, and the Guardian’s repeats the firm’s “social experiment” label.

    Discovery of New Fake Pollster, Wedgewood, Puts a Spotlight on Trust in Surveys
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines
  • the center

    2 outlets

    The center headline attributes the admission to the company and explains the sequence of events, while Newsweek’s centers on a candidate’s claim that the poll “killed” her campaign.

    A company says its polls were fake. Here's what happened
    PBS NewsHourCenterAll center headlines
  • the right

    12 outlets · 3 opinion

    Right headlines report the admission plainly at the Washington Times and Washington Examiner, but Far Right outlets frame it as media being duped, a blow to Democrats, or proof that polls are wrong.

    Polling Group Trusted by Mainstream Outlets Admits Its Polls Were Fake
    The Western JournalFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center1

    Failed Senate Candidate

  • Right27

    raged againstslamsbombshell revelationslaughably inaccurate

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    raged againstMore neutral: criticized

    ‘Raged’ describes her reaction with more drama than the words she is quoted using.

    Mallory McMorrow, D, this week raged against Wedgewood Polls after the organized publicly stated that its data was entirely…

    Used byJust the News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    slamsMore neutral: criticizes

    ‘Slams’ adds a hostile tone to a complaint that the outlet could describe neutrally.

    Dem who lost Michigan primary slams fake polling outlet as it admits it fabricated data

    Used byJust the News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    bombshell revelationsMore neutral: revelations

    “Bombshell” adds drama to revelations that can be described plainly.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday insisted that bombshell revelations that an upstart polling company fabricated its data were proof that surveys…

    Used byJust the News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    laughably inaccurateMore neutral: often inaccurate

    The phrase is the writer’s own mocking judgement of polling accuracy rather than a stated finding.

    It’s sad, but this story is hardly new: polling in the Trump era has been laughably inaccurate.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

Show 24 more phrasesShow fewer
  • Loaded modifier

    shambolicMore neutral: poorly run

    The word is a judgement on the quality of polling that the excerpt does not support with evidence.

    This cycle, especially, has been shambolic.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    BombshellMore neutral: development

    The word presents the news as dramatic before the facts are weighed.

    Well, This Is Quite the Bombshell.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    riles DemocratsMore neutral: draws reaction from Democrats

    The verb assumes an emotional reaction from a party rather than reporting it.

    New fake polling scandal riles Democrats ahead of midterm elections

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Vague attribution

    Some election observersMore neutral: named observers or a stated source for the doubt

    The claim that observers doubt the explanation is attributed to unnamed people.

    Some election observers aren't buying that explanation, and the timing of the confession gives them…

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Fallout Is HugeMore neutral: reaction to the admission

    The phrase asserts a large consequence in exclamatory form without citing evidence of its size.

    A Pollster Just Admitted Faking Its Numbers, and The Fallout Is Huge!

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Partisan shorthand

    momentum for socialismMore neutral: momentum for left-wing candidates

    The phrase frames poll results as favoring a political ideology, which is a judgement the poll numbers alone do not show.

    …I wondered how many other pollsters willing to publish numbers that hinted at momentum for socialism would turn out to be "social experiments." I meant that as a rhetorical…

    Used byHot Air (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    catastrophically misrepresented the electorateMore neutral: misrepresented the electorate

    The word catastrophically is an intensifier that adds drama to a general criticism of the polling industry.

    …question, a fun bit of snark at a polling industry that had catastrophically misrepresented the electorate in the primaries.

    Used byHot Air (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Socialist-PromotingMore neutral: favoring left-wing candidates

    The label attaches a political conclusion to the pollster before the facts of its work are established.

    Too Lefty Not to Check: Yet Another Fake Socialist-Promoting Pollster?

    Used byHot Air (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    propagandizingMore neutral: more persuasion than measurement

    Describes push polling as propaganda rather than measurement, a judgement offered without evidence about the practice.

    …to provoke a certain response; this is called "push polling," and that's more propagandizing than information-gathering.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    FailedMore neutral: Democratic candidate

    “Failed” pre-judges the candidate before the article gives any record of a failure.

    'DON'T TRUST THE POLLS': Failed Democratic candidate melts down after ANOTHER pollster outed as a total fake

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    melts downMore neutral: responds

    “Melts down” describes a candidate’s reaction in dramatic, judgemental terms rather than what they said or did.

    'DON'T TRUST THE POLLS': Failed Democratic candidate melts down after ANOTHER pollster outed as a total fake

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    total fakeMore neutral: pollster that admitted fabricating data

    “Total” adds emphasis beyond the reported evidence that the firm admitted fabricating its data.

    …POLLS': Failed Democratic candidate melts down after ANOTHER pollster outed as a total fake

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    so-calledMore neutral: polling firm

    “So-called” casts doubt on the firm’s status as a polling company in the outlet’s own voice.

    Democrats are up in arms after a so-called polling firm that projected far-left candidates as strong contenders in several…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    furiousMore neutral: critical

    “Furious” describes unnamed people’s emotions in intensified terms that the excerpt does not show.

    Democrats furious after pollster boosting far-left candidates admits fabricating surveys: ‘Absolute…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    far-leftMore neutral: Democratic

    “Far-left” labels the candidates by ideology in a way that pre-judges them, and the excerpt gives no policy record for them.

    Democrats furious after pollster boosting far-left candidates admits fabricating surveys: ‘Absolute scumbags’

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    unbelievableMore neutral: new

    The word tells readers how to feel rather than describing the story.

    An unbelievable story is breaking about the garbage polling in some areas.

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Could Change EverythingMore neutral: Raises Questions About Midterm Polling

    The claim that the story could change everything is hype that the reporting does not support.

    The Midterm Polling Scandal That Could Change Everything

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    Sick trollsMore neutral: People behind Wedgewood Polls

    Labels the people behind the firm with a contemptuous category before their motives are established.

    Sick trolls fess up to making fake polls that helped Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan: ‘Far too easy’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    fess upMore neutral: admit

    Informal phrasing that implies reluctant confession rather than a plain admission.

    Sick trolls fess up to making fake polls that helped Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan: ‘Far too easy’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    dirty little secretMore neutral: Problems in polling

    Idiom that dramatizes the subject and implies a hidden scandal across polling.

    Polling’s dirty little secret

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Failed Senate CandidateMore neutral: Former Senate candidate

    Labels the former candidate as a failure, which pre-judges her campaign.

    Failed Senate Candidate Says Fake Poll 'Killed' Her Campaign

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

  • Vague attribution

    raising questionsMore neutral: state the question and who is asking

    The writer is raising the question while pretending someone else did.

    …election polls that circulated in competitive races across the country is raising questions about whether false data influenced campaign fundraising, donor confidence, and…

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Blow $1.2 MilMore neutral: spend $1.2 million

    “Blow” implies wasted money, a judgement the reporting does not establish.

    How Fake Wedgewood Polling May Have Caused Schumer to Blow $1.2 Mil in Mississippi Senate Race

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    scoffedMore neutral: doubted

    “Scoffed” describes doubters with mockery rather than neutrally.

    With less than two weeks to go before the November election, Americans who have scoffed at political polling since Donald Trump entered politics a decade ago have one more…

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (2)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    insistsMore neutral: says

    “Insists” signals the outlet doubts Johnson’s claim more than a neutral verb would.

    Johnson insists fake poll scandal proof that 'polls are wrong'

    Quoted byJust the News (Far Right)

    These are Mike Johnson’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    killedMore neutral: ended

    Dramatic verb for the poll’s effect, used here in the candidate’s own words and attributed to her.

    Former Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow says a fabricated poll “killed” her campaign after portraying her as a distant third in the primary and the weakest…

    Quoted byNewsweek (Center)

    These are Mallory McMorrow’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets · 2 opinion

Leads with

  • Failure of media vetting
  • Trust in polling and aggregators
  • Wedgewood’s social experiment claim
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Discovery of New Fake Pollster, Wedgewood, Puts a Spotlight on Trust in Surveys

    A supposed pollster had released a series of midterm surveys that were picked up by well-known polling aggregators. But on Tuesday, the group acknowledged that almost all of its work was fake.

  • The GuardianLeftOpinion

    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 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” …

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • The company’s own account
  • Sequence of events
  • Aggregators removing data
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • A company says its polls were fake. Here's what happened

    A national polling organization revealed on Tuesday that the vast majority of its data had been fabricated, saying it was an "experimental project to demonstrate the vulnerabilities" of the modern political polling industry.

  • NewsweekCenter

    Loaded modifier“Failed Senate Candidate”Labels the former candidate as a failure, which pre-judges her campaign.More neutral: Former Senate candidateDisagree with this highlight? Says Fake Poll 'Killed' Her Campaign

    "It was treated like a game," McMorrow said on X.

From the right

12 outlets · 3 opinion

Leads with

  • Media duped by fake pollster
  • Implications for midterm polls
  • Democratic spending in Mississippi
  • Johnson’s claim that polls are wrong
See the 16 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    4 hr 10 min later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 12:39 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    Washington Examiner, Oct 21, 8:29 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Washington ExaminerRightOct 21, 8:29 AM EDT
  2. PJ MediaFar RightOct 21, 10:10 AM EDT
  3. The Washington TimesRightOct 21, 10:48 AM EDT
  4. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 21, 10:59 AM EDT
  5. TheBlazeFar RightOct 21, 11:15 AM EDT
  6. Fox NewsFar RightOct 21, 11:26 AM EDT
  7. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 21, 11:53 AM EDT
  8. The Daily WireFar RightOct 21, 12:00 PM EDT
  9. New York PostRightOct 21, 12:08 PM EDT
  10. NewsweekCenterOct 21, 12:39 PM EDT
  11. RedStateFar RightOct 21, 5:04 PM EDT
  12. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 21, 6:50 PM EDT
  13. The Western JournalFar RightOct 21, 6:56 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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