The story so far
- Fake Polling Firms Busted for Media-Cited PollsYou are here
- FCC Warns Broadcasters Against Airing Fake Polls21 sources
- Another Polling Firm Goes Offline Amid Fake-Poll Scrutiny17 sourcesLatest
Updated 1w+ ago · Politics
Fake Polling Firms Busted for Media-Cited Polls
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 45 sources split on this story
Source landscape
Factuality
High
Mixed
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Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right
Political Bias
Coverage by lean
45 sources · 79 articles · 60% 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, 10 sources: The center sees a second fabricated pollster in months fooling major outlets and aggregators.
The National Desk1w+How common are fake political polls? Pollster calls incident an 'outlier'Newsweek1w+Nate Silver says fake poll scandal fuels distrust pushed by TrumpThe Hill1w+Fake polls send shockwaves through the political world ahead of midtermsAxios1w+Election polling rocked by a new fake data scandalNOTUS1w+Mallory McMorrow Wants Democrats to ‘Stop Looking at Polling’ - The Washington SunPBS NewsHour1w+A company says its polls were fake. Here’s what happenedPennLive1w+Polling guru shifts midterm forecast in favor of GOP after fake polls are revealedRealClearPolitics1w+Why RealClearPolitics Didn't Fall for the Fake PollsThe Economist1w+The curious, predictable case of the fake pollUSA Today1w+Group admits faking polls cited by major news media outlets
Left coverage, 8 sources: The left sees a fraud exposed by FiftyPlusOne's sleuthing, with the social experiment claim dismissed as a cover story.
Talking Points Memo1w+Panic in the Final StretchPolitical Wire1w+Most Voters Believe the Midterm Elections Will Be AccurateRaw Story1w+Ex-Senate hopeful erupts after pollster admits faking data: ‘It was treated like a game’Cleveland.com1w+Polling guru shifts midterm forecast in favor of GOP after fake polls are revealedMediaite1w+National Polling Company Admits It’s Totally Fake — Crows it Was ‘Far Too Easy’ to Get M ...Politico1w+How a fake pollster may have moved some 2026 electionsSlate1w+A Fake Polling Company Just Got Busted—but Not Soon EnoughThe Independent1w+Fake polling company might have swung some 2026 primary elections
Right coverage, 27 sources: The right sees proof that legacy media and polling deserve distrust, plus real harm to voters and candidates.
PJ Media1w+Midterm Shocker: The Polls Are Full of Crap — and Black Voters Just Might Save AmericaTwitchy1w+‘Wedgewood Polls’ Says It's Fake, Just Social Experiment to Show Vulnerabilities of Polling IndustryJust the News1w+Trump gloats over NYT amid fake pollster controversyWashington Examiner1w+Polls have been wrong before. Could they be wrong again in 2026?NewsBusters1w+NewsBusters Podcast: Should Election News Revolve Around Pollsters?RedState1w+Yet More ‘Damn Lies’ From the Polling IndustryNew York Post1w+Sneaky troll polls boost the far left — yet we keep falling for themThe Epoch Times1w+Pollster Cited by NY Times, Other Outlets Says It’s FakeTownhall1w+Another Firm Has Been Busted for Peddling Fake PollsWND1w+‘Incredibly misleading’: Why RealClearPolitics didn’t fall for the fake polls * WorldNetDaily * by Carl M. Cannon, Real Clear WireZeroHedge1w+Nate Silver Explodes In Foul-Mouthed Tirade After Fake Polling Firm Pulls Off Humiliating HoaxAmerican Greatness1w+Fake Polling Firm Hoodwinks Major News Outlets with Bogus Polls in ‘Social Experiment’ › American GreatnessBreitbart News1w+Polling Firm Admits to Fake Data, Says It Was 'Social Experiment'Citizen Free Press1w+Polling firm boosting Socialist candidates admits to making up data — Wedgeworth Polls fabricated everything.FrontPage Magazine1w+Another Pollster Used by the Media Announces Its Polls are FakeHot Air1w+Too Lefty Not to Check: Yet Another Fake Socialist-Promoting Pollster?National Post1w+Fake pollsters and bogus polls becoming a real issue in U.S. midtermsNational Review1w+The Wedgewood Fake Polls ScandalNewsmax1w+How a Fake Pollster May Have Moved Some 2026 ElectionsNTD1w+Pollster Cited by NY Times, Other Outlets Says It’s FakeOutKick1w+Democrats furious after pollster boosting far-left candidates admits fabricating surveys: ‘Absolute scumbags’The Blaze1w+'DON'T TRUST THE POLLS': Failed Democratic candidate melts down after ANOTHER pollster outed as a total fakeThe Daily Wire1w+The Midterm Polling Scandal That Could Change EverythingThe Federalist1w+Polling Scandals Expose Corporate Media's Pre-Election PsyopThe Gateway Pundit1w+“THE NEW YORK TIMES GOT CAUGHT!” – Trump Nukes the New York Times After Admitting to Getting Duped by Fake Pollster With Completely Fabricated Numbers (VIDEO) * The Gateway Pundit * by Jordan ConradsonThe Washington Times1w+Bogus polling firm admits numbers are fraudulent, claims 'experimental project'The Western Journal1w+Polling Group Trusted by Mainstream Outlets Admits Its Polls Were 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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