A polling firm, Median Strategies, shuts down after acknowledging that some of its published election survey results were fabricated. The company told outlets that its polling showing the Los Angeles mayoral incumbent leading a rival by double digits was not real, describing the release as part of an “experiment.”
According to multiple reports, Median Strategies also admitted that other survey figures it circulated were manufactured, including polls related to a Wisconsin primary. The firm stated it was created as a short-term “social experiment,” and later announced it was closing. Different outlets report the same central facts: the firm’s surveys were not based on genuine polling, and the company ties the episode to a stated attempt at testing or demonstrating something rather than conducting a standard polling operation.
The controversy highlights how fabricated survey claims can spread quickly and be treated as credible by readers and media. It also raises questions about verification and transparency in the polling industry, particularly when firms release results without clear methodological detail.
