The story so far
- Report: Media-Used Pollster Scrambles Amid Looming Investigation2 sources
- Another Media-Used Pollster Announces Its Polls Are FakeYou are here
- FCC Warns Broadcasters Against Airing Fake Polls13 sourcesLatest
Updated 53m ago · Politics
Another Media-Used Pollster Announces Its Polls Are Fake
Wedgewood Polls admitted Oct. 20 that it fabricated data for nearly all its polls. It called the effort a social experiment.
- 17 Wedgewood polls were removed from Decision Desk HQ averages.
- 3 articles were retracted by Newsweek, which corrected others.
- The New York Times removed all Wedgewood polls from its tracker.
- Wedgewood says only one poll, a crowdfunded Nebraska survey, was real.
Why it matters: Wedgewood's numbers appeared in aggregators and news outlets across competitive 2026 races. Removing them shifted some averages.
- Mallory McMorrow said a June Wedgewood poll cost her donations and volunteers.
- Wedgewood was the only independent pollster in Mississippi's Senate race since August.
How 27 sources split on this story
Source landscape
Factuality
High
Mixed
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Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right
Political Bias
Coverage by lean
27 sources · 37 articles · 74% Right coverage
Where they split: Coverage divides over whether the main failure lies with the fraudsters or with the media and aggregators that amplified them.
Center coverage, 3 sources: The center sees a second fabricated pollster in months fooling major outlets and aggregators.
Left coverage, 4 sources: The left sees a fraud exposed by FiftyPlusOne's sleuthing, with the social experiment claim dismissed as a cover story.
Talking Points Memo18hNew Entrant Pollster Was Publishing All Fake PollsCleveland.com2hPolling guru shifts midterm forecast in favor of GOP after fake polls are revealedMediaite10hNational Polling Company Admits It’s Totally Fake — Crows it Was ‘Far Too Easy’ to Get M ...Raw Story4hEx-Senate hopeful erupts after pollster admits faking data: ‘It was treated like a game’
Right coverage, 20 sources: The right sees proof that legacy media and polling deserve distrust, plus real harm to voters and candidates.
PJ Media13hA Pollster Just Admitted Faking Its Numbers, and The Fallout Is Huge!Twitchy20h‘Wedgewood Polls’ Says It's Fake, Just Social Experiment to Show Vulnerabilities of Polling IndustryWashington Examiner5hThe polling industry keeps falling for (and promoting) fake pollsJust the News23hJohnson insists fake poll scandal proof that 'polls are wrong'NewsBusters4hNews Outlets Respond to Being Duped by Fake Polling Company’s ‘Experiment’RedState6hHow Fake Wedgewood Polling May Have Caused Schumer to Blow $1.2 Mil in Mississippi Senate RaceThe Epoch Times23hPollster Cited by NY Times, Other Outlets Says It’s FakeAmerican Greatness6hFake Polling Firm Hoodwinks Major News Outlets with Bogus Polls in ‘Social Experiment’ › American GreatnessBreitbart News8hPolling Firm Admits to Fake Data, Says It Was 'Social Experiment'FrontPage Magazine22hAnother Pollster Used by the Media Announces Its Polls are FakeHot Air12hToo Lefty Not to Check: Yet Another Fake Socialist-Promoting Pollster?National Review5hThe Wedgewood Fake Polls ScandalNew York Post7hSick trolls fess up to making fake polls that helped Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan: 'Far too easy'OutKick7hDemocrats furious after pollster boosting far-left candidates admits fabricating surveys: ‘Absolute scumbags’The Blaze8h'DON'T TRUST THE POLLS': Failed Democratic candidate melts down after ANOTHER pollster outed as a total fakeThe Daily Wire23hThe Midterm Polling Scandal That Could Change EverythingThe Washington Times8hBogus polling firm admits numbers are fraudulent, claims 'experimental project'Townhall15hRemember When Some Were Saying the Polls Were Fake? Well, This Is Quite the Bombshell.WND5h‘Just plain faked’: Pollster that pushed Dem agenda admits it made up everything! * WorldNetDaily * by Bob UnruhZeroHedge4hPollster Cited By NY Times, Other Outlets Admits It's Fake
What’s next: FiftyPlusOne says it caught the firm and rejects Wedgewood's claim that aggregators skipped vetting. It published its findings early.
- FiftyPlusOne found mismatched survey markers after checking raw data with Pollfish.
- Who ran Wedgewood, and what was the actual motive?
- Could crowdfunding tied to fabricated polls bring fraud charges?
- How will aggregators change vetting for new pollsters?
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