Donald Trump’s sniff- and sputter-filled debate performance counted as a huge loss, although he subsequently tried to claim he took it easy on his female rival, so as not to “embarrass her.” Trump’s supporters comprise a vocal contingent who are very eager to defend their man in online capacities. So, it’s really not all that shocking that Trump was able to tweet a screencap of multiple internet polls that handed him the debate. (And there’s the very fake poll that places Clinton in 4th place and can be traced to a spoof site.)
Those polls aren’t scientific in nature by any stretch. In fact, the only legit poll that surfaced in the hours following the debate was the CNN/ORC poll that put Clinton ahead with 62% approval over Trump’s 27% among debate watchers. This presented difficulties for Fox News host Sean Hannity, who couldn’t find any data that fit his Trump supporting stance, so he evidently resorted to the same polls that were tweeted by Trump. And although Hannity insists that he’s not a journalist, he’s still guilty of disseminating unscientific polling data to the masses.
Business Insider obtained a new Fox News memo to employees that reminded them how unscientific polls “do not meet our editorial standards.” The note went out to Hannity, other hosts, and the entire politics team from VP of Public-Opinion Research Dana Blanton:
“As most of the publications themselves clearly state, the sample obviously can’t be representative of the electorate because they only reflect the views of those Internet users who have chosen to participate,” Blanton wrote. As the Fox News executive pointed out, users who participate in such polls must have internet access, be online at the time of the poll, be fans of the website in question, and self-select to participate.
“Another problem — we know some campaigns/groups of supporters encourage people to vote in online polls and flood the results,” she wrote. “These quickie click items do not meet our editorial standards.”
For what it’s worth, a second legit poll by the Morning Consult surfaced on Tuesday morning and favored Clinton’s debate performance over Trump’s at 49% to 26%. But on Monday night, Hannity simply grabbed whatever “data” he could find to support his pal, which has resulted in a hand slap. The cable news network also publicly chided his appearance in a recent Trump ad spot too. Will Hannity soon go for a third strike, or will hanging up on an Obama speechwriter quiet him down for awhile?
(Via Business Insider)
