more on Iraq war poll[ I endorse the "idiotic"nature of open online and telephone polls -- djf

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 13:04:56 -0800
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Iraq war poll[ I endorse the "idiotic"nature of
open online and telephone polls -- djf

[ I endorse the "idiotic"nature of open online and telephone polls -- djf

Dave ...

Please understand:  I am certainly NOT -- *NOT*! -- suggesting that
such so-called ["unscientific"] "polling" should be "prohibited" or
in any way blocked or censored by law.

{ I NEVER SAID OR SUGGESTED THAT. ONE SHOULD JUST NOT BELIEVE THEM DJF}



My complaint is about:

(1)  Such "polls" by otherwise-"reputable"(?) media organizations
that are prominently reported to the public -- e.g. in prime-time
news shows -- but with only the most subtle of verbal-only incidental
disclaimers about their [complete!] lack of statistical validity ...
that have NO controls at all for attempting to have a valid
sample-space, nor against numerous votes being case by the same
person.

I.e., "polls" that are completely MEANINGLESS, and wildly-open to
rampant "vote fraud".

The problem I see with such "polls" reported in the mainstream media
is that they give the MISimpression that they have any slightest
validity.

(2)  Such polls being conducted by legislators using tax-funded staff
and facilities -- without any controls at all re multiple voting by
advocates, much less any attempt at seeking statistical valid
information.

At a minimum, it's useless and surely misleading.  In the worst case,
net-naive legislators might actually BELIEVE any of those "results".
THAT is DANGEROUS!

However, if children of all ages want to do play-like polling in this
naive, invalid, misleading way ... more power to 'em.  Let's just not
report the results or use them, for any SERIOUS purpose, as though
they had any MEANING.

Or so I see it.

--jim


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