FCC Chair Brendan Carr has issued a warning to broadcasters against running "fake polls" associated with former President Donald Trump. The warning follows concerns about Wedgewood Polling, a firm with no formal credentials that was added to major polling aggregators like The New York Times, Fifty Plus One, and Vote Hub. Despite having no history or real data, Wedgewood was treated as a legitimate news source.
Carr emphasized he uses FCC authority over licensed broadcasters, not unlicensed media outlets. Aggregators Fifty Plus One, The New York Times, and Vote Hub claim they vetted Wedgewood prior to inclusion. Fifty Plus One stated it was preparing to expose the fraud and had requested comment from Wedgewood, which instead posted a public statement admitting to fabricating data.
The New York Times and Vote Hub defended their inclusion of the polls. Vote Hub assigned Wedgewood a D grade after speaking with its "head pollster." The New York Times updated its polling page with a statement regarding Wedgewood. This situation highlights ongoing tensions between regulatory bodies and polling data integrity in the current media landscape.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing