PHILIPPE DE CROY spots more poll spinning, this time at The New York Times:
NYT SPIN WATCH. Today’s New York Times has an article titled “Opinions Begin to Shift as Public Weighs War Costs.” It’s a report of a new poll the newspaper has run. Given the headline, what would you expect such an article to say? The implication, it seems to me, is that support for the war is declining as the costs of it become more evident. But as you read the article, you see that it focuses instead on (a) public perceptions about how well the war is going and how soon it will be over; and (b) whether support for the war is the same among blacks and whites. It is made very clear that opposition to the war among the former group runs high. And there is mention that opinions about the war generally are in “flux” in part because “many Americans say they remain unsure of Mr. Bush’s rationale for the conflict.” Okay, okay, but what about the basic overall question of whether Americans are supporting the war?
Not to worry; that question is discussed as well — in the eighteenth and last paragraph of the story: “Support for Mr. Bush and the war remains high. By 70 percent to 24 percent, Americans believe that the United States did not make a mistake getting involved in Iraq.”
Oh.
I’m shocked, shocked to find such things going on at the Times of all places.
UPDATE: Bill Hobbs has some thoughts on this, too.