Posted on 12/29/2018 5:37:21 PM PST by FightThoughtControl
Yesterday, Dahoser helpfully posted this outrageously deceptive article from The Hill. Thank you, Dahoser. The post received much attention from Freepers, who made many good comments. Since most people likely don't have the time to wade through all 131 comments, I will summarize here some particularly astute observations as well as add my own. I hope that it will be a helpful exercise in highlighting many of the ways the media attempts to deceive us, particularly with statistics.
We should be concerned not just to avoid being deceived ourselves but also to recognize the powerful influence articles like this have on the general public which is not as aware of the deliberate deception techniques. This particular article is a clear example of the media using the powerful mechanism of "social proof" to sway people who are uncertain about some topic. When we are more uncertain of an issue and/or more people seem to believe one way about that issue, we are more easily swayed to that point of view. Social proof is well-documented and taught in MBA programs across the country as a manipulation tool. It is likely why Donald Trump smartly emphasized his good polling during the Republican primaries. It is why the media turned it around on him during the general 2016 campaign. It is why The Hill has published this deceptive article.
So, here are some issues with the article. Statements in italics are reasonable questions we might ask ourselves in response to these issues. Aside from slipping "or censured" into their headline, one had to read the whole article to learn:
1. The poll was an online survey. Seriously?
2. The online survey occurred 24-26 December. How might Christmas affect who responds to a survey?
3. The survey consisted of 1,473 registered voters. Why not likely voters?
4. Harvard conducted the survey. What outcome might elitist Leftists want to achieve?
5. The survey was released exclusively to the Hill. So no one else can question it?
6. The survey details/methodology won't be posted until later this week. How many readers will just consume the headline and not search for those details a week later?
7. The article's very last sentence is "As a representative online sample, it does not report a probability confidence interval." The confidence interval exists. So, how wide is this interval that they won't report it? That is, statistically this survey is garbage.
With exasperation, all I can say is that these people are scum and fully deserve their label as enemy of the American people. That The Hill would publish an article like this means that the editors have no credibility, and any Hill article is suspect.
You’re correct!
That’s total bullshit talk... and you know it!
Pure Progressive Propaganda. I triple dog dare the House Democrats to impeach President Trump, because it would result in his easily being reelected.
Another point: if the choice was either impeach OR censure, people might legit respond yes, because they figured a rebuke or expression of disapproval would be enough to satisfy their snowflake sensibilities.
“I hope that it will be a helpful exercise in highlighting many of the ways the media attempts to deceive us, particularly with statistics.”
Way, way too much credit is given to the Leftist media:
- as if the problem is how clever their strategies of deception are
- as if the problem is that they are outwitting us with their superior intellect
- as if we must study their methods, pour through their writings
- as if we must memorize their narratives to learn how to avoid them
The problem is quite the opposite:
- that despite their worthlessness, people still give them an audience
- that otherwise sensible people read their nonsense and discuss it
- that even here on FR their empty hit pieces get republished
- that in the name of “know thine enemy” we listen
Please explain to me why it is that after painstakingly avoiding the fake news on CNN, MSNBC, NYT, WP, SNL, etc., and trying to find sources of truth - why is it that all FReepers seem to want to do is reprint Leftist hit pieces and obsess over them? Why do I go to Hannity seeking the truth, and find he can’t resist playing video clips of all the CNN garbage I’m trying to avoid?
I know, keep your enemies close - I’ve heard the usual Freeper arguments for why we must get down and dirty in the sewer and study all this garbage - I don’t buy it.
I think it’s more like parents who justify watching porn because they ought to know what their children might be getting exposed to. Nice try.
I remember thirty years ago there was a weekly newspaper called Human Events - filled with great articles about free enterprise and conservative principles - such as limitted government and peace through strength - but it was all positive discussion about the vision of how a constitutional republic should work. There wasn’t this all consuming preoccupation with leftist lies and BS. So you could really learn something - and you could encourage your children to read it.
What good does it do to repeat their lies? The only people that benifits is the Leftists themselves - we are giving them access to our conservative audiences - we are being used to distribute their propaganda in markets they would not otherwise have access to.
My mother used to say that the devil has no power over you if you don’t listen to what he has to say. I wish conservatives would just boycott these fake news sources - never watch those channels or read those papers - and for God’s sake stop replaying their programs on conservative outlets like Hannity and FR.
The more we pay attention the stronger and more influential they become.
It’s still here: http://humanevents.com/
I’m with you. Lot’s of conservative sources we could post and talk about rather than dancing to the tune of the fake news.
“Majority in Poll Want Trump Impeached or Censured (Necessary Repost)”
For what? These @$$holes are bent on starting a civil war.
I found the repost useful. I wasn’t going to click on the original post, so the reposted synopsis was great for me. The Hill paid for an agitprop peice.
Did they include illegal immigrants in their poll?
Regarding “What is presidential censure?”, to the best of my knowledge it is merely a vote by a chamber of Congress to formally denounce the president. It is merely symbolic and has no other direct effect.
I am aware of competing schools of thought on FR regarding whether we should post and discuss deceptive articles like on this thread. There are good arguments for both. Although I am reluctant to give additional airtime to lies, sometimes the trade-off seems worth it.
In this particular instance, I was motivated by my disappointment in the midterm election results as well as the perceptions of those I know personally. I had thought that media corruption has been so over-the-top obvious these past couple of years that reasonable Americans would punish Trump's opponents in the midterms. Unfortunately, the results imply that the media has been sufficiently effective and enough people are (willfully?) blind. Yes, electoral fraud likely contributed, but nevertheless it's disappointing that so many races were so close. Since my interactions with people around me corroborate the election results, I reposted this Hill article to emphasize how effective these lies continue to be, to warn against sticking our heads in the sand, and to continue the good fight against this deception.
Thank you all for being a bastion of sanity. I don't frequently post, but lurk often. President Trump is a hero. Regards,
Based on the mids, I guess a lot of people can be fooled a lot of the time. A whole lot of bliss goin’ on out there.
Happy New Year!
You’re welcome.
Good post, nicely written.
I watched every Trump rally before the midterms. People stood in lines for long hours in freezing cold and rain!! President Trump had capacity crowds with overflow numbers almost as large as those inside. RATs had almost non-existent crowds. The midterm results made absolutely no sense except for massive voter fraud and corruption. The voting machines have to be looked at as well. Not for a minute do I believe the media had an impact on the Marxist RATs winning. In California, motor voter aka illegals voting, the dead voting, and ballot harvesting gave the people of California the next human waste to occupy the Governor’s mansion and the Assembly.
Until serious investigation into the “organized voter fraud,” is done followed with prosecution for those found guilty and lengthy prison time is meted out, the nation is in peril. Anyone financing the voter fraud must be exposed and join the others in prison.
I wouldn’t read too much negative into the midterm election results - it is normal for opposition party to pick up seats - the slight Republican gains in the Senate actually qualifies 2018 as an upset for Trump.
Another general observation about the lack of “significance” to the Dems’ gaining control of the House: I believe 90% of voters are so low information that they may as well be flipping a coin. That is why elections are do close to 50/50 regardless of merits or lack thereof.
I predict Trump will win in 2020 with a comfortable electoral college of 350 or so, but another popular vote squeaker. The 10% intelligent people will vote 60/40 for Trump, while the 90% “coin flippers” will be 50/50 - so that’s 51/49 Trump - a squeaker on the surface, but yet a solid win in the demographic that means something: the 10% of high information voters.
Trump is doing a fantastic job - he’s a fighter and he has chosen the right side in the war of Liberty vs. government Tyranny. He will never get any credit from the lying leftist media - and the polls they conduct will never reflect his politics successes.
But do not despair - he is winning.
I firmly believe that the penalty for engaging in Voter Fraud, Ballot Tampering (in any form) should be on a par with the price paid for US to have the right to free and open elections.
If anybody is not understanding my meaning, I would suggest that they visit any Veteran’s cemetery for clarification.
The time for tolerating the actions of those individuals who are working overtime to end our Republic must come to an end.
I do believe our Donald, the US military including veterans, and patriots throughout this nation agree wholeheartedly.
The enemies within who are working overtime to end our Republic aren’t going to have free reign at doing so.
Voter fraud MUST be investigated even if that investigating is done by patriots; voter fraud MUST be exposed and those found guilty MUST be prosecuted and MUST spend the rest of their days in prison as a warning to other traitors willing to sell their souls to Satan in order to destroy this country.
“...So for ACTUAL citizens they may be talking 10-15% then and the sample is NOT really representative....”
Democrats, yes. American Citizens, no...
There are Americans... and then there are democrats.
I believe polls. Just ask President Hillary Clinton.
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