PoliticsBreaking
Polling firm Wedgewood admits its midterm polls were fabricated
By Mantle News
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, 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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
QuotedinsistsMore 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
QuotedkilledMore 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 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 opinionLeads 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.
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 outletsLeads with
- The company’s own account
- Sequence of events
- Aggregators removing data
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
- PBS NewsHourCenter
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 opinionLeads 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
- Washington ExaminerRight
What we know about who’s behind the fake polling operation Wedgewood Polls
Who exactly was running Wedgewood Polls, an admittedly fraudulent polling firm whose data have appeared over the past four months on the polling sites of some of the country’s top aggregators, and why they pursued the project remains one of the biggest mysteries in Washington …
- The Western JournalFar Right
Polling Group Trusted by Mainstream Outlets Admits Its Polls Were Fake
With less than two weeks to go before the November election, Americans who have Loaded verb“scoffed”“Scoffed” describes doubters with mockery rather than neutrally.More neutral: doubtedDisagree with this highlight? at political polling since Donald Trump entered politics a decade ago have one more reason
- RedStateFar Right
How Fake Wedgewood Polling May Have Caused Schumer to Loaded verb“Blow $1.2 Mil”“Blow” implies wasted money, a judgement the reporting does not establish.More neutral: spend $1.2 millionDisagree with this highlight? in Mississippi Senate Race
Earlier, RedState's Ward Clark reported on the scandal surrounding Wedgewood Polling, a relatively new polling outfit that was taken seriously by the likes of The New York Times, VoteHub, and data crunching guru Nate Silver, and which admitted on Tuesday that all of the polls …
1 more from RedState
- New York PostRight
Dehumanizing label“Sick trolls”Labels the people behind the firm with a contemptuous category before their motives are established.More neutral: People behind Wedgewood PollsDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“fess up”Informal phrasing that implies reluctant confession rather than a plain admission.More neutral: admitDisagree with this highlight? to making fake polls that helped Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan: ‘Far too easy’
Wedgewood Polls, a sham polling firm, publicly confessed to pumping out fake polls after it was caught fabricating data by election nerds at FiftyPlusOne, which had been poised to publish an investigation.
- The Daily WireFar Right
The Midterm Polling Scandal That Sensational language“Could Change Everything”The claim that the story could change everything is hype that the reporting does not support.More neutral: Raises Questions About Midterm PollingDisagree with this highlight?
An Sensational language“unbelievable”The word tells readers how to feel rather than describing the story.More neutral: newDisagree with this highlight? story is breaking about the garbage polling in some areas. A fake pollster called Wedgewood Polls is behind it. FiftyPlusOne, which is the revision of Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight at the New York Times, reported, “Last week we received a credible tip from a …
- The Epoch TimesFar Right
Pollster Cited by NY Times, Other Outlets Says It’s Fake
Wedgewood Polling said it engaged in an experiment to see how easy it is for a fabricated polling firm to gain traction and be taken seriously.
- Fox NewsFar Right
Democrats Sensational language“furious”“Furious” describes unnamed people’s emotions in intensified terms that the excerpt does not show.More neutral: criticalDisagree with this highlight? after pollster boosting Loaded modifier“far-left”“Far-left” labels the candidates by ideology in a way that pre-judges them, and the excerpt gives no policy record for them.More neutral: DemocraticDisagree with this highlight? candidates admits fabricating surveys: ‘Absolute scumbags’
Wedgewood Polling admitted to fabricating data, shaking key races including the Michigan Senate primary between Abdul El-Sayed and Mallory McMorrow.
- TheBlazeFar Right
'DON'T TRUST THE POLLS': Loaded modifier“Failed”“Failed” pre-judges the candidate before the article gives any record of a failure.More neutral: Democratic candidateDisagree with this highlight? Democratic candidate Loaded verb“melts down”“Melts down” describes a candidate’s reaction in dramatic, judgemental terms rather than what they said or did.More neutral: respondsDisagree with this highlight? after ANOTHER pollster outed as a Sensational language“total fake”“Total” adds emphasis beyond the reported evidence that the firm admitted fabricating its data.More neutral: pollster that admitted fabricating dataDisagree with this highlight?
Pollsters routinely miss the mark , but some pollsters aren't even trying to hit the target. Just months after a polling outfit that gave Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) a false sense of momentum was exposed as a fraud — or as they put it, a "short-term social experiment" — …
- Breitbart NewsFar Right
Polling Firm Admits to Fake Data, Says It Was 'Social Experiment'
Wedgewood Polls posted on X Tuesday night that it fabricated its data throughout the 2026 election cycle, claiming it was done as a "social experiment" intended to spark reform of the industry.
- The Washington TimesRight
Bogus polling firm admits numbers are fraudulent, claims 'experimental project'
A firm that has published widely circulated midterm political polls has acknowledged that its numbers were "fabricated" and claimed they were part of an experiment that duped some media outlets.
- PJ MediaFar Right
A Pollster Just Admitted Faking Its Numbers, and The Sensational language“Fallout Is Huge”The phrase asserts a large consequence in exclamatory form without citing evidence of its size.More neutral: reaction to the admissionDisagree with this highlight?!
A polling firm that spent months pumping out numbers in key races across the country admitted Tuesday evening that nearly all of them were fake.
- Just the NewsFar Right
You Vote: With news of a company admitting it has been releasing fake polling data, what say you?
The organization said it was a social experiment to test whether news outlets would verify data from an unknown pollster.
Sneaky troll polls boost the far left — yet we keep falling for them
A brand-new pollster with no track record, no known institution behind it, and nobody checking its work? Voter beware.
The Wedgewood Fake Polls Scandal
An actual fake polls scandal shows the need for continued skeptical appraisal, not simply ignoring all polling data.
Too Lefty Not to Check: Yet Another Fake Loaded modifier“Socialist-Promoting”The label attaches a political conclusion to the pollster before the facts of its work are established.More neutral: favoring left-wing candidatesDisagree with this highlight? Pollster?
Two months ago, we found out that a left-favoring pollster named Median Strategies turned out to be a "social experiment," which is a fancy academic term for fraud. …
Remember When Some Were Saying the Polls Were Fake? Well, This Is Quite the Sensational language“Bombshell”The word presents the news as dramatic before the facts are weighed.More neutral: developmentDisagree with this highlight?.
It’s sad, but this story is hardly new: polling in the Trump era has been laughably inaccurate. We don’t respond to pollsters, so gauging this climate is sometimes a shot in the dark. Exit polling is off. This cycle, especially, has been shambolic. …
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
- Washington ExaminerRightOct 21, 8:29 AM EDT
- PJ MediaFar RightOct 21, 10:10 AM EDT
- The Washington TimesRightOct 21, 10:48 AM EDT
- Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 21, 10:59 AM EDT
- TheBlazeFar RightOct 21, 11:15 AM EDT
- Fox NewsFar RightOct 21, 11:26 AM EDT
- The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 21, 11:53 AM EDT
- The Daily WireFar RightOct 21, 12:00 PM EDT
- New York PostRightOct 21, 12:08 PM EDT
- NewsweekCenterOct 21, 12:39 PM EDT
- RedStateFar RightOct 21, 5:04 PM EDT
- PBS NewsHourCenterOct 21, 6:50 PM EDT
- 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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