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Polling Firm Admits to Fabricating Survey Data, Calls It Social Experiment

What happened

Wedgewood Polls admitted Tuesday that it had fabricated its election survey data throughout the 2026 cycle. The firm claimed in a statement posted online that the fabrication was a "social experiment" or "experimental project" designed to expose lack of oversight in the polling industry. Major polling aggregators and media outlets had published the firm's data before the admission.

Side by side

Left5 versions

Left outlets emphasize the firm "admits to fabricating data" and frame it as exposing "flaws of industry" with scrutiny lacking from "mainstream media." The Guardian focuses on the "lack of scrutiny over polling sector."

Center4 versions

Center outlets highlight how the fake polls "fueled distrust" and note Nate Silver's forecast "shifts towards Republicans" after removing the data. They describe outlets being "duped" in the "social experiment."

Right23 versions

Right outlets emphasize the polls "favoring Dems" and describe them as "sneaky troll polls" that "boost the far left." They stress candidates and campaigns being misled, with the New York Post calling the perpetrators "sick trolls" and Breitbart noting it was done "throughout the 2026 election cycle."

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Polling Firm Admits to Fabricating Survey Data, Calls It Social Experiment — Unbiased