While much chatter, especially on talk shows yesterday, focused on polls that found an increasing number of Americans think President Barack Obama is a Muslim, what was missed by many was the injection of one (similar) word by writers in their versions of poll results, designed to emphasize some survey participants were wrong, ill-informed, completely off base or dopey in what they believe, notes Grumpy Editor.
That’s tampering with results of what poll participants declared --- and editorializing in one swoop.
Examples from three major news outlets with inserted negating words indicated in bold face:
• “The number of Americans who believe --- wrongly --- that President Obama is a Muslim has increased significantly since his inauguration and now accounts for nearly 20 percent of the nation's population.”
--- The lead in a Washington Post story by Jon Cohen and Michael D. Shear reporting on a Pew Research Center survey.
• “Americans increasingly are convinced --- incorrectly --- that President Barack Obama is a Muslim, and a growing number are thoroughly confused about his religion.”
---The lead of an Associated Press story by Alan Fram also based on the same Pew Research survey.
• “Nearly one-third of the country thinks adherents of Islam should be barred from running for president --- a slightly higher percentage than the 24 percent who mistakenly believe the current occupant of the Oval Office is himself a Muslim.”
--- Alex Altman in the second paragraph of a Time magazine story, based on a separate poll conducted for his publication.
Better route: News writers should save the opinions, coupled with concrete evidence, for the editorial or op-ed pages.
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