I get news alerts on my cell phone and my iPad. I don't know what set me up to receive them. On my computer I get news links from Pocket. I did not sign up for that either. Usually those links come from Slate, the New York Times, the BBC, and similar unbiased news sources.
Today on my iPad I received an alert to an article entitled "Why Trump is losing." I had no interest in reading the article. I notice that the articles and links that come from these services all seem to run in a certain vein.
"Why Trump is losing" strikes me as news analysis. I spell news analysis o-p-i-n-i-o-n. I would say that even if it said "Why Trump is winning" -- but these stories newer seem to say anything remotely like "Why Trump is winning." It is not "news."
Perhaps the title should have been "Why Trump appears to be losing." That would make more sense.
First, we need to look at how the questions on the survey were worded. "Would you vote for Joe Biden if voting for Trump would mean that everyone in the world would die a long, painful death?" Maybe they don't go that far, but that is probably closer to the truth than it is to fiction.
Second, we need to consider these surveys tend to over sample Democrats and under represent Republicans. Surveys have a problem now. Many people have no time with survey takers. Survey takers have resorted to voluntary participation -- "Have your voice heard. Take this survey." That defeats the randomness of surveys. You can probably find surveys in Cosmopolitan that show that 3 out of 5 married American women have three male and two female lovers. Is it true? Maybe for the readers of Cosmopolitan, but not for the population at large. Even the groundbreaking study into human sexuality in the 1940's, the Kinsey Report, was found to have conducted many of its surveys with prison inmates -- not exactly a representation of public morals.
Third, we need to consider that people who express support for the President legitimately will be in fear of losing their jobs, being assaulted, or worse.
I do not agree with the infatuation of public opinion polls in the news media. The only poll that should be widely covered is the poll taken on a particular Tuesday in November. Everything else is manipulation.
I used to participate in phone surveys if the survey pertained to something I was interested in or affected by. I don't any more. They never ask questions that I can give a yes/no, black/white, answer to even though they insist on a black/white, yes/no answer.
ReplyDeleteI have answered one or two phone surveys. It is uncanny how the questions they ask are geared to getting you to give the answer the sponsors of the survey want to hear. I read somewhere that survey companies ask "So what do you want us to prove?" before they conduct a survey.
DeleteI just feign insanity.
DeleteOr say whatever is on my mind.
Few know the difference.
;)
LOL Lewy. I luvs ya.
DeleteDitto.
DeleteTom kind of does the same thing. He pretends he can't understand English and asks the same question with a heavy accent. Keeps life interesting :-)
Matt, a couple other things:
ReplyDelete- things are shitty right now and shitty conditions generally disfavor the incumbent.
- this time the establishment crew will be all-in, and not half-assed about it like they were with Hillary.
Not counting on a second Trump term.
Totally agree with you, Matt, everything else is manipulation.
ReplyDeleteWith all the burning, rioting, looting and violence, Trump will win in a landslide.