Polling firm Median Strategies closes following allegations of fabricated data

AI-summarized · Neutrality-checked

The polling firm Median Strategies ceased operations and withdrew all prior data after admitting that its polls, which included a fabricated 12-point lead for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and a 20-point lead for Francesca Hong, were part of a "social experiment." The firm, which claimed its project examined how unverified information spreads through political ecosystems, published results such as a 560-person poll with a 4.1 percent margin of error that has now been deemed not genuine. Following the disclosure, the campaigns of both Mayor Bass and her challenger Nithya Raman traded criticism over the promotion and vetting of the fraudulent polling data.

Consequences

The disclosure of the fabricated polling data has prompted calls from the Bass campaign for an investigation into bad-faith efforts to influence election cycles. Additionally, the event highlighted significant vulnerabilities regarding the lack of independent verification for political information circulating within the media ecosystem.

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