Key facts
- Wedgewood Polls admitted to fabricating its survey data.
- The firm claimed the project was a "social experiment" to expose flaws in the political polling industry.
- Fabricated numbers were published by Newsweek, The Hill, Breitbart, and The Daily Beast.
- The New York Times and Nate Silver included Wedgewood's data in their polling databases.
- Decision Desk HQ and The New York Times removed the fabricated polls.
- Mallory McMorrow stated fabricated poll numbers negatively impacted her Senate campaign.
Wedgewood Polls has admitted to fabricating its survey data, stating the project was a "social experiment" designed to highlight the lack of scrutiny and oversight in the political polling industry. The firm's fabricated numbers were quickly amplified by national media outlets, including Newsweek, The Hill, Breitbart, and The Daily Beast, and were incorporated into polling databases by The New York Times and election analyst Nate Silver. Following Wedgewood's admission, Decision Desk HQ removed 17 polls from its databases, and The New York Times removed all of Wedgewood's data from its poll tracking project. Democratic politician Mallory McMorrow stated that the fabricated poll numbers negatively impacted her Senate campaign by drying up donations and increasing media pressure. This incident follows a similar case in August where a 21-year-old was found to be behind a website that spread fake election polling.