The corporate media has fallen for it again, as a new Wall Street Journal poll showing Trump leading Biden in six of seven swing states was paid for by Rupert Murdoch and conducted by Trump’s pollster.
The Wall Street Journal poll appears to contain bad news for President Biden in swing states, with Trump leading Biden on the economy, inflation and immigration. Cable news talking heads went wild saying this is all terrible news for the incumbent, and horse race, horse race, horse race, which is the only kind of election coverage our corporate media they know how to do it. No one bothers to look under the hood of this survey.
Simon Rosenberg did it and published:
You can choose to look at polls funded by Rupert Murdoch and conducted by Trump’s pollster, or you can look at the numerous polls conducted in recent weeks that show Democrats gaining ground, with Biden in the lead:
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Since the end of February, 14 national polls have been released showing Biden ahead. 14. Many showed significant movements towards her. Even polls more favorable to favorable voters have shown Biden gaining ground.
As in those final weeks before the 2022 election, R-aligned polls see a more R-friendly race than most independent polls. It’s just beyond the data we have before us to say that this is anything other than a close, competitive election. Trump doesn’t lead.
Any candidate, media outlet or poll that claims a candidate is leading in April is either lying or playing a stupid game. Data from more than a dozen recent polls show three things. Donald Trump is not driving. The 2024 elections are close. Joe Biden is gaining ground in the polls.
The corporate media knows better, but it’s much easier and cheaper to breathlessly hype polls than actual election coverage that talks about the issues and differences between the candidates.
The Wall Street Journal poll is a pro-Trump poll that makes assumptions about the electorate and what that electorate will look like to achieve the desired outcome of showing Trump winning.
One reason polls are so unreliable is that they are used for partisan messaging and to shape voters’ perceptions of how elections are going.
Our corporate media is happy to play along because narratives and drama matter more than factual reporting.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association