Median Strategies, a short‑lived polling outfit, announced this week that it is ceasing operations after publicly admitting that its recent surveys on two high‑profile races were fabricated. The company said the polls were created as a “social experiment” to see how unverified polling data could spread through the political information ecosystem.
Fabricated polls and actual outcomes
In Los Angeles, the firm released a poll showing Democratic Mayor Karen Bass with a 12‑point lead over City Councilmember Nithya Raman in the June mayoral primary. The poll claimed to be based on responses from 560 Angelenos with a 4.1% margin of error. In reality, Bass won the primary by only five points, with Raman trailing and independent Republican Spencer Pratt finishing third.
In Wisconsin, Median Strategies published a survey indicating state representative Francesca Hong leading Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley by 20 points ahead of the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Crowley ultimately defeated Hong by a razor‑thin margin.
Company’s stated purpose and closure
On its website, Median Strategies explained that the organization was formed solely as a short‑term experiment to examine how purported polling information could enter and spread without independent verification. “Median Strategies has concluded its polling project and will not publish additional polls,” the statement read.
The firm told Fox News it had no affiliation with any candidate, political action committee, or party. It also declined to provide interviews, stating it was not seeking publicity or attribution for the individuals involved.
Broader impact on polling credibility
The fabricated surveys received coverage on social media, local television newscasts, and various online reporting outlets, prompting renewed criticism of public‑opinion polling methods. Recent inaccurate polls in other states, such as a Michigan poll that overstated far‑left candidate Abdul El‑Sayed’s lead and a Minnesota Senate primary poll that underestimated progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s advantage, have added to concerns about poll reliability.
While Median Strategies’ experiment was brief, its closure underscores the importance of independent verification and transparency in the polling industry, especially as voters and campaigns rely on such data to shape strategies and public perception.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
