New Fox Poll Report Ignores the Good News About Edwards
Reported by Ellen - July 26, 2004 -
News Hounds know that a new Fox poll is almost sure to be an occasion for a new Fox spin on the presidency of George W. Bush. The latest report does not disappoint in that regard. While there's no mention of John Edwards in reporter Dana Blanton's story, there are plenty of interesting statistics about him in the poll itself. Could Blanton's silence have anything to do with the fact that the Edwards numbers are quite positive?
On the plus side, Blanton's report, 07/22/04: Race neck-and-neck contains less spin than News Hounds have come to expect. Could this be part of an Outfoxed effect? We can't know but we can hope.
Still, a careful reading of the full poll reveals the important findings about the vice presidential candidates that did not make it into Blanton's story. For example:
Voters would feel more comfortable with John Edwards (47%) than Dick Cheney (40%) if the vice president had to step in and serve as president.
Voters think the Kerry/Edwards ticket better shares the values of average Americans (49%) than Bush/Cheney (40%).
53% said Edwards will add votes to the Democratic ticket.
And the poll asks this question about Edwards that avoids attributing any vice-presidential qualities to him:
What is the first thing that comes up in discussions with friends and co-workers about John Edwards?
He's handsome (5%), He was a trial lawyer (10%), He's from the South (5%), He lacks experience (8%), His positions (8%), Other (17%).
The largest category is other, but no specifics are given. Could it be that people answered that Edwards is a good choice?
It's odd that no mention of Cheney or Edwards would be in Blanton's news report because the poll asks so many questions about them and Edwards, in particular. Blanton's piece is long and detailed and even includes a reference to a question about which comedian voters say represents their personal values. But nothing about the VP's.
Despite the increased fairness, it's still not hard to sniff out some partisan particulars in what Blanton does report. To wit:
"Bush is seen as 'more likeable' but Kerry is making gains here."
May June
49% 43% Bush
30% 38% Kerry
Comment: That's a good-for Bush way of saying that Bush's likeability has slipped 6% while Kerry's has risen 8% in one month. Also, it's unusual to see the latest month second when most poll reports list the latest first. Could the unusual placement have anything to do with putting Bush's better numbers first?
In the second paragraph, Blanton repeats the customary-at-Fox tactic of bundling good news with any bad-for-Bush news. "President Bush's job performance rating is below the 50% mark, although among Republican voters, his ratings are sky-high." Later in the story, there's more spin: "Opinion of the president's job performance shows a slight dip this week, as 47 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove. President Bush's average job rating for 2004 is 50 percent the exact rating that many election followers believe an incumbent must be at or above to be re-elected."
Blanton might have said that his approval rating had sunk from 58% in January. But that would not be the Fox way.
