Group Published Bogus Polls on Los Angeles and WI Races as Part of 'Social Experiment'

Median Strategies, a "polling company" Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass publicly referenced during her reelection campaign, has shut down and said that all of its "polls" were counterfeit.

LA Mayoral Race: Median recently published a "poll" that showed the incumbent Bass leading challenger Councilmember Nithya Raman by nearly 12 points. Bass shared the "poll" in a since-deleted post on X and wrote, "Doing the work, showing up, and gaining momentum. Let's do this, LA!" Median claimed the "poll" was based on 560 LA voters between July 30 and August 5 and had a 4.1% margin of error.

LA Times Report: On August 17, The Los Angeles Times (Lean Left bias) said that after "repeated inquiries," Median told it, "Median Strategies was created as a short term social experiment to examine how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification. We are not seeking publicity or attribution for the individuals involved and are declining interviews."

More From Median: Median added on its website, "All previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data." The Times said Median began posting on X on August 9 and had 20 followers. It said no one at the company received any "compensation or financial benefit" and that it was not "funded, commissioned, or directed by any candidate, campaign, political party, PAC, media organization, or other outside entity."

NY Post Fooled: Median also claimed 16% of its LA mayoral "poll" respondents said they voted for Republican Spencer Pratt, and that of them 85% would vote for Bass in the general election. The New York Post (Right) relayed this information in a headline, "Spencer Pratt's voters could be deciding factor in LA mayor showdown according to latest poll." The outlet has since changed its coverage, without an editor's note. The new headline reads, "Karen Bass team demands 'full force of law' over bogus poll," and the story focuses on Median's shuttering and its fraudulent nature. Bass's team told The Times and The Post that the poll was written about by media outlets, legitimizing it in their eyes.

Wisconsin Primary: Median also released a "poll" on the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary, where progressive socialist Rep. Francesca Hong narrowly lost to Milwaukee County executive David Crowley. Median's "poll" showed Hong leading by more than 20 points.

Perspectives: Political consultant Rick Taylor told The Post, "There would have been no reason for anyone to have doubted it. Whoever is responsible for this ought to be exposed, and we need to make sure this never happens again." Journalist Bill Scher noted that on August 11 he expressed skepticism at the legitimacy of Median and wrote, "STOP CITING POLL DATA FROM UNVERIFIED SOURCES."

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