Tuesday, October 21, 2008
It’s Scholastic Magazine, for Goodness Sake!!!
by Paul Giacobbe
Elections, and the reporting associated with elections, are a more than occasional source of complaints to NBC10. Experience has suggested that as a candidacy becomes more troubled, that candidate’s supporters are more frequently likely to blame the news media for those troubles.
This week, NBC10 aired at 11 p.m. a national story about a poll taken by Scholastic Magazine. The poll, which the magazine admitted was unscientific, surveyed 250,000 school children who, according to the poll, favored Barack Obama over John McCain for president by 57% to 39%.
A viewer, who identified herself as a veteran supporting Senator McCain, emailed this:
I just heard while listening to Monday nights 11:00 p.m. news about a story . . . about a poll of young kids who, if they could, would vote for a certain candidate (Obama) and that over 50% of them said they would?!! How biased is that? So, do you think that all of us adults are so naive to believe that smut report of yours and think that will change our minds if some of us are McCain supporters?
Are you trying to SCARE us into changing our votes? Why did you have to air that kind of smut on your news program? Oh, so we’re supposed to “listen” to the kids now just because they don’t REALLY know the issues in this election and that their only reason for voting for Obama is because he’s younger than McCain?
Do you REALLY think they REALLY know the REAL Obama? Why don’t you go LOOK for REAL stories behind this maniac Senator for once! Or are you too “AFRAID” that you’ll be labeled “racist” by his party if you go investigate this man’s livid past! STOP BEING BIASED! I just won’t watch you anymore!
This was the story, reported by WNBC reporter Carol Anne Riddell:
Anchor local: If you’re hungry for predictions on who will win the presidential race—You might try asking kids.
Children across the country voted—and the results are now in. Carol Anne Riddell reports.
If kids could vote—they’d choose Senator Barack Obama for president. The Scholastic Magazine election poll—with about 250 thousand children voting—shows kids choosing obama by 57% compared to 39% for Senator John McCain.
These scholastic kid reporters broke it down for us.
What’s intriguing about this—the folks at Scholastic say since 1940 the results of the kid vote has largely mirrored the actual outcome in the general election—with just two exceptions over the years.
Student: “Scholastic election poll has only been wrong twice. Once during the Dewey/Truman election and once again during the Nixon/Kennedy election so we’re on a good streak right now.“
Suzanne McCabe of Junior Scholastic magazine explains what *might* be the reason for that. “We think they’re just a mirror maybe into what their parents are thinking very often.“
Some other interesting results. Girls chose Obama by a wider margin than boys—57 percent opting for Obama, 39 percent for McCain. Among boys, 49 percent went for Obama, 46 percent for McCain.
And youngsters do seem to care about many adult issues.
Student: “My parents just bought a house. The economy is failing. How does that affect us?“
But kids will be kids—Obama and McCain weren’t the only vote getters.
Student: “There were some votes for the Jonas Brothers, Barney, Miley Cyrus, Stephen Colbert. Then some people voted for themselves—some people Voted for my daddy.“
Anchor local: The poll is not based on a scientifically designed sample—instead it’s based on teachers who have their classes participate and kids who individually choose to take part.
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I’m generally sympathetic to the concerns of viewers, since that’s why I’m here. But I can’t understand how anyone could consider that story “smut,” or interpret it as an attempt by NBC10, or the station and reporter that produced the story, to influence voters. It’s Scholastic Magazine, not the Democratic National Committee.
Viewers might not like the results of the polls taken by the Washington Post or NBC News, but we announce them anyway. And yes, those polls are generally of registered voters, but they are polls nevertheless. Reporting the results of a poll, whatever those results are, do not indicate a bias.
In fairness to the viewer who emailed, in gathering materials for this story I communicated with a veteran reporter at the station who indicated that she too was troubled that the story appeared to be one sided.
I disagree with her as I do with the viewer. It was a poll and barring any suggestion that the polling was rigged, it’s a cute, relevant news story that demonstrates efforts to acquaint young people with the election process.
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This space is provided by NBC10, but the opinions here are mine alone – Paul Giacobbe
