CNN accused of 'egregious misreading' of data from coronavirus survey

CNN has been accused of “an egregious misreading of the data” used in a recent report claiming 68 percent of Americans say they need a coronavirus vaccine before returning to "normal life."

CNN published an article Monday that declared in its headline, “68% of Americans say a vaccine is needed before returning to normal life,” citing a “new survey.” It cited “two new Gallup surveys” but didn’t link to either of them. CNN promoted the story with a tweet using the same statistic.

Nicholas Grossman, an international relations professor at University of Illinois, responded with a column headlined, “No, 68% of Americans Do Not Think a Vaccine is Needed Before Returning to Normal Life.”

Grossman first points out that the term “normal life” is unclear and confusing for readers regardless of whether or not the data is accurate.

“Does it mean a return to pre-coronavirus normal, with no masks in public, packed restaurants, and no worries about large indoor gatherings such as concerts, basketball games, and conferences? Does it mean the end of government-mandated lockdowns, which many states are easing already? Maybe it means something in between. The CNN article doesn’t say,” Grossman wrote.