Polling as a News-Gathering Tool

Abstract

The use of public opinion research by news organizations has graduated from the publication of commercial syndicated polls to the widespread adoption of social science research methods as a reporting tool. As many as 500 to 600 news papers are conducting polls and other quantitative research projects on a regular or occasional basis. In-house polling appears to be established as a new journalistic genre, and those working in the field expect it to grow in both use and sophistication. Newsroom research activities have gone far beyond the traditional preelection preference poll to include both attitude and behavioral studies on a range of public affairs issues and sociological topics. Critics, however, say some media research efforts are conceptually and methodologically poor, and they worry about the negative effects on society of the uncritical use and presentation of flawed public opinion data. Journalists, nevertheless, generally welcome the power offered by public opinion research.

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References

1. John N. Rippey , “Use of Polls as a Reporting Tool,” Journalism Quarterly, 57(4): 642-646, 721 (Winter 1980).

2. My conversation with Maxwell E. McCombs, 11 Dec. 1981.

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5. Ibid., p. 567.

6. James W. Tankard, Jr. , “Public Opinion Polling by Newspapers in the Presidential Election Campaign of 1824,” Journalism Quarterly, 49(2):361-365 (Summer 1972).

7. See, for example, Gerhart D. Wiebe , “The New York Times and Public Opinion Research: A Criticism,” Journalism Quarterly, 44(4):654-658 (Winter 1967).

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29. Quoted in Mary Thornton , “How Should Editors Handle Political Polls?” Bulletin of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, no. 645, p. 3 (Oct. 1981).

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32. Quoted in Thornton , “How Should Editors Handle Political Polls?” p. 6.

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Stephen J. Ceci and Edward L. Kain , “Jumping on the Bandwagon with the Underdog: The Impact of Attitude Polls on Polling Behavior,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 46(2): 228-242 (Summer 1982) presents the results of an experiment that shows that knowledge of previous poll results influences candidate preference and strength of attitude.

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34. Burns W. Roper , “Election Poll Errors: A Problem for Us All,” AAPOR News, 10(2):1 (Winter 1983).

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35. For an examination of polling topics in the CBS News-New York Times poll, see David L. Paletz , “Polls in the Media: Content, Credibility, Consequences,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 44(4): 495-513 (Winter 1980).

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39. Rippey , “Use of Polls,” p. 646.