Comments on: NBC's Bogus Tea Party Poll http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/12/17/nbcs-bogus-tea-party-poll/ The national media watch group Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:11:32 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: December 2009 « Questionable Content http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/12/17/nbcs-bogus-tea-party-poll/comment-page-1/#comment-39307 December 2009 « Questionable Content Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:27:58 +0000 http://www.fair.org/blog/?p=13461#comment-39307 [...] http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/12/17/nbcs-bogus-tea-party-poll/ [...] [...] http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/12/17/nbcs-bogus-tea-party-poll/ [...]

]]> By: FAIR Blog » Blog Archive » Time Garbles Poll Numbers to Puff Tea Party Popularity http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/12/17/nbcs-bogus-tea-party-poll/comment-page-1/#comment-12802 FAIR Blog » Blog Archive » Time Garbles Poll Numbers to Puff Tea Party Popularity Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:19:51 +0000 http://www.fair.org/blog/?p=13461#comment-12802 [...] polling has shown that lots of people don't know what the "Tea Party movement" is (FAIR Blog, 12/17/09). Sure enough, if you look at the actual polling results, you see that Time is mixing up the [...] [...] polling has shown that lots of people don't know what the "Tea Party movement" is (FAIR Blog, 12/17/09). Sure enough, if you look at the actual polling results, you see that Time is mixing up the [...]

]]> By: Ryan http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/12/17/nbcs-bogus-tea-party-poll/comment-page-1/#comment-11444 Ryan Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:37:15 +0000 http://www.fair.org/blog/?p=13461#comment-11444 Jim N: Yes, you can get 101 from rounding then adding 49.5 and 50.5, but take a second look at the numbers given by MSNBC: 28, 35, and 41. You're suggesting that they might have started with 27.5 (or higher), 34.5 (or higher), and 40.5 (or higher) and then rounded them up to 28, 35, and 41 before adding, and that that pushed them over 100. But add up those numbers themselves: 27.5 + 34.5 + 40.5 = 102.5. Still over. You can't make those numbers work. But all that is not the point. Really, the way that it's presented--reporting that a party is "viewed positively"--does not exclude the possibility that a respondent views more than one party positively, something that may be allowed by the poll that was taken. So you could get more than 100% that way. Either way--numbers or flimsy surveying--there's just no good information to be had there. Jim N:

Yes, you can get 101 from rounding then adding 49.5 and 50.5, but take a second look at the numbers given by MSNBC: 28, 35, and 41.

You're suggesting that they might have started with 27.5 (or higher), 34.5 (or higher), and 40.5 (or higher) and then rounded them up to 28, 35, and 41 before adding, and that that pushed them over 100. But add up those numbers themselves: 27.5 + 34.5 + 40.5 = 102.5. Still over. You can't make those numbers work.

But all that is not the point.

Really, the way that it's presented--reporting that a party is "viewed positively"--does not exclude the possibility that a respondent views more than one party positively, something that may be allowed by the poll that was taken. So you could get more than 100% that way.

Either way--numbers or flimsy surveying--there's just no good information to be had there.

]]> By: BARB http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/12/17/nbcs-bogus-tea-party-poll/comment-page-1/#comment-11396 BARB Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:45:34 +0000 http://www.fair.org/blog/?p=13461#comment-11396 Was more than a little doubtful about FAIR's "fact-checking" reports, as were some of the previous posters. So, I went and did a search on Obama in FAIR's archives. After looking at the first 20 items, I gave up. Definitely a love feast for Obama. Or as someone put it "a slobbering love affair". Will go back and see how well Sarah Palin fares in FAIR! Was more than a little doubtful about FAIR's "fact-checking" reports, as were some of the previous posters. So, I went and did a search on Obama in FAIR's archives. After looking at the first 20 items, I gave up. Definitely a love feast for Obama. Or as someone put it "a slobbering love affair". Will go back and see how well Sarah Palin fares in FAIR!

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