Do pollsters get paid or are they producing these elaborate pranks for free? Polling is terribly flawed and makes for lazy journalism. A media outlet will only post or broadcast poll results if (a) they have space to fill, (b) there is a shocking change from previous polling, or (c) a media person with the authority to choose whether a “story” merits publication is happily amplifying their own bias.

With Kentucky’s election just a few weeks away, it is telling as to which “stories” are advanced on the electorate.

New poll shows Matt Bevin and Andy Beshear in dead heat in Kentucky governor racehttps://t.co/rlMLd6VUrA pic.twitter.com/QwnqaosMZ9

— Lexington Herald-Leader (@heraldleader) October 16, 2019

A few months ago on the radio, I asked Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin for his response to a new “poll” that listed him as the Least Popular Governor in America.

“I love it,” said Bevin. “What does that say about (Kentucky) Democrats who can’t beat a guy like that.”

The most recent Morning Consult poll now lists Bevin as the second least popular governor. So, yeah, that’s a story “as Election Day draws near.”

Do you think it would have been a story if Matt Bevin had been listed as one of the most popular governors? Of course not. That would not advance the narrative of the editor or publisher who determines what information is worthy of becoming a story. Further decisions are made as to the story’s placement and repetition over several days.

Polls are just polls and humans compile polling data. Those same humans have their own biases and that factor may come into play in the math.

Then there is the issue of photo selection. A lot of editorial messaging is packed into the side-by-side photos of political opponents. Think there’s any bias in this salon.com photo pairing?

via The Courier Journal

On election day 2014, The Courier Journal sold the front page overlay ad to Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes. It created a pseudo fantasy front page instructing readers to vote for her. The next morning, the reality headline IT’S MITCH illustrated the Courier’s detachment from reality among the electorate.

On election day 2014, the Courier Journal sold the cover wrap-around ad to Democrat Alison Grimes.

Breathless pre-election reports of “dead heat” drama from Kentucky media quickly spooled into the reality McConnell “handily” defeating Grimes. Politico more accurately reflected the outcome by admitting that McConnell trounced Grimes.

So much for dead heats. There is no way that the 2019 gubernatorial election is in a dead heat headlock. I pick Bevin by 6 percentage points, and Daniel Cameron to win by more than 4%.

Kentucky political writer Al Cross recently addressed the issue of impartiality in journalism, citing the driving mission of seeking truth without political bias.

Yes, ⁦@GovMattBevin⁩ can be charming and persuasive, but he tries to rewrite history and likes to give lectures, especially to people who are trained and paid to ask tough questions of politicians. https://t.co/eK5zam7W3U | https://t.co/eK5zam7W3U https://t.co/DXDBNSoZoY

— Al Cross (@ruralj) October 18, 2019

from the Al Cross piece:

The Lexington Herald Leader and Louisville Courier Journal are not shy about their favoritism for Democrats. Year after year, both newspapers tout Liberals and criticize Conservatives. Al Cross wants to believe that journalists don’t let their emotions and biases skew their work, but that’s just not possible. Every human being applies their own biases into everything they do.

Now begins the parade of endorsements for Liberals by both major newspapers, a decades-old template where they fill in the name of the current Democrat and use the same list of accolades from past seal of approval editorials.

Editorial: The Lexington Herald-Leader endorses Greg Stumbo for Kentucky Attorney General https://t.co/XT3Fog5fZ8

— Lexington Herald-Leader (@heraldleader) October 18, 2019

You’ll be shocked to know that just two weeks before the 2019 election, The Courier-Journal posted a story comparing use of the state plane by Republican Governor Matt Bevin vs. his Democrat predecessor Governor Steve Beshear. The Courier fairly illustrated how Bevin is bad and Beshear was good! Wow! That’s impartial journalism at its best!!!

How Kentucky governors use state aircraft to raise money for their reelection campaigns https://t.co/C95UtLIckc

— Courier Journal (@courierjournal) October 21, 2019

Remember that any person with media power is presented some tidbit that they don’t agree with, they have the option to ignore the story. Others may consider it newsworthy, but person(s) in charge are overriding editors. They would rather not give it further magnification, hoping it withers away.

Just as photo selection can illustrate an editor’s bias, so does story placement in print versions of newspapers. The Courier’s ongoing series examining a Republican governor’s flight schedule with that of his Democrat predecessor is irrelevant. The comparison cannot properly weigh staff decisions made on schedule arrangements for unconnected events.

October 22, 2019

It’s a manufactured slapdown that earns the top of the page two weeks before the newspaper’s nemesis is up for re-election.

Google the Courier Journal front pages from the weeks leading up to Governor Steve Beshear’s re-election campaign. Not a problem to be found. Just stories about a solid Democrat trying to do the right thing.

Hmm. Journalism is not just facts, it is personal for media people with editorial authority.

Coffee is for closers. Forget the polls. Vote and be counted.