DisabledVet
08-07-2007, 11:32 AM
STORY LINK
(http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=46909)
ABC Should Explain Ron Paul/GOP Debate Poll & Comment Board Deletions
Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - FreeMarketNews.com
News Opinion
CNN “mislaid” commentary favorable to Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul and ABC has apparently done so in the past as well. But it would seem, from reader reaction to a previous FMNN article “ABC Reset Republican Debate Tally After Ron Paul Win?” that ABC is at it again – and pervasively.
In a news analysis on Sunday, August 5, FMNN reported that “ABC TV apparently reset its tally of who won the Republican debate it broadcast on August 5, Sunday morning.”
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=46813
But now that reader reactions have updated the story, it seems as if the tinkering with poll results and with the commentary board itself was pervasive. ABC is one of the biggest media franchises in America, and such franchises present themselves as deadly serious about maintaining and building trust with viewers.
Here are some comments by FMNN feedbackers that should raise further questions about ABC’s operation of its commentary board and voter tallies. As a “private sector” corporation, ABC is entitled to do anything it wants with its comment boards and in-house polls. But if it wants to maintain the credibility of such, it ought to explain what is going on with its fluctuating poll numbers and even with the removal of commentary on its boards.
Some sort of annotation or explanation would go a long way to addressing the issues raised in some of the following FMNN feedbacker comments. They can be found separately at this site at:
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=46813&fb=1#19480
Some feedbacker comments …
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I personally witnessed this and thought I was going crazy...Ron Paul had gotten to the high 2000s, then I go back and refresh and it's in the 1700s or so. I hope this was indeed a glitch and not an "executive reset".
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They don't think we are watching or don't care. Since only a few will notice such changes they think they can sluff it off and call anyone who questions their actions as paranoid. For a man who is polling so low as to be thought of as a non-threat, ABC sure does seem to think he is a threat. Also, why does a supposed disinterested 3rd party, who is to only report the news care? Doesn't an underdog story make for great headlines, which sells papers.
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I was watching the numbers of the ABC poll closely, and noticed that Pauls votes would sometimes decrease when I would refresh the result page. I would say I saw this happen about 5 times over the span of a couple of hours. The results still show him as having an absolutely staggering lead, so I guess their little plan didn't work.
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I noticed the other candidates’ tallies and the total dipping up and down as well. Not really sure why that would be, but I'm sure that if ABC wanted to bias the poll we'd see Ron Paul at 2%. Maybe they are just trying to invalidate the poll so that they can shrug and ignore the actual result which is that Dr. Paul won by a wide margin.
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I saw the poll reset multiple times!!!! this angered me... the media is trying to shut us up! We need to do something!
=====
Their Comments section was fluctuating wildly too!
265, 240, 165 comments!?
(http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=46909)
ABC Should Explain Ron Paul/GOP Debate Poll & Comment Board Deletions
Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - FreeMarketNews.com
News Opinion
CNN “mislaid” commentary favorable to Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul and ABC has apparently done so in the past as well. But it would seem, from reader reaction to a previous FMNN article “ABC Reset Republican Debate Tally After Ron Paul Win?” that ABC is at it again – and pervasively.
In a news analysis on Sunday, August 5, FMNN reported that “ABC TV apparently reset its tally of who won the Republican debate it broadcast on August 5, Sunday morning.”
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=46813
But now that reader reactions have updated the story, it seems as if the tinkering with poll results and with the commentary board itself was pervasive. ABC is one of the biggest media franchises in America, and such franchises present themselves as deadly serious about maintaining and building trust with viewers.
Here are some comments by FMNN feedbackers that should raise further questions about ABC’s operation of its commentary board and voter tallies. As a “private sector” corporation, ABC is entitled to do anything it wants with its comment boards and in-house polls. But if it wants to maintain the credibility of such, it ought to explain what is going on with its fluctuating poll numbers and even with the removal of commentary on its boards.
Some sort of annotation or explanation would go a long way to addressing the issues raised in some of the following FMNN feedbacker comments. They can be found separately at this site at:
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=46813&fb=1#19480
Some feedbacker comments …
=====
I personally witnessed this and thought I was going crazy...Ron Paul had gotten to the high 2000s, then I go back and refresh and it's in the 1700s or so. I hope this was indeed a glitch and not an "executive reset".
=====
They don't think we are watching or don't care. Since only a few will notice such changes they think they can sluff it off and call anyone who questions their actions as paranoid. For a man who is polling so low as to be thought of as a non-threat, ABC sure does seem to think he is a threat. Also, why does a supposed disinterested 3rd party, who is to only report the news care? Doesn't an underdog story make for great headlines, which sells papers.
=====
I was watching the numbers of the ABC poll closely, and noticed that Pauls votes would sometimes decrease when I would refresh the result page. I would say I saw this happen about 5 times over the span of a couple of hours. The results still show him as having an absolutely staggering lead, so I guess their little plan didn't work.
=====
I noticed the other candidates’ tallies and the total dipping up and down as well. Not really sure why that would be, but I'm sure that if ABC wanted to bias the poll we'd see Ron Paul at 2%. Maybe they are just trying to invalidate the poll so that they can shrug and ignore the actual result which is that Dr. Paul won by a wide margin.
=====
I saw the poll reset multiple times!!!! this angered me... the media is trying to shut us up! We need to do something!
=====
Their Comments section was fluctuating wildly too!
265, 240, 165 comments!?