Editor-in-chief of major US magazine Mother Jones caught skewing data to trash Bernie
Bernie Sanders is unfit to be president because black women don’t care for him, the editor-in-chief of a prominent American magazine has argued citing a poll that… doesn't really support her claim.
Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones, revealed to the internet on Tuesday that black women do not think that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders would be an appetizing presidential candidate in 2020, preferring instead Democratic heartthrobs such as Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden.
“Survey asked black women to say who's among their top three candidates: Harris: 71.1% Beto: 38.3% Biden: 25% Booker: 24.2% Warren: 22.3% Abrams: 15.2% Bernie: 12.1% Bernie's never going to be the nominee unless he turns these numbers around,” Jeffery tweeted, along with a link to her source.
Survey asked black women to say who's among their top three candidates:Harris: 71.1% Beto: 38.3% Biden: 25%Booker: 24.2%Warren: 22.3%Abrams: 15.2%Bernie: 12.1%Bernie's never going to be the nominee unless he turns these numbers aroundhttps://t.co/7LLdFoGIIt
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) December 18, 2018
Unfortunately, the survey Jeffrey cited was actually a “national straw poll of 264 women of color leaders, campaign workers and managers, political strategists, organizers and activists,” and less than 50 percent of the respondents identified as African American.
The grateful citizens of Twitter did not hesitate to express their thanks for Jeffrey’s cutting-edge reporting.
To show that Bernie lacks support among black women, Clara Jeffrey circulated a poll in which 1) Less than half of respondents were black women 2) All respondents were self-selected operatives, politicians, and donors. Expect lots more of this junk https://t.co/i1iabOcvmU
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) December 19, 2018
Clara, this statistic is incorrect, this (1) was not a survey of black women, with fewer than 50% of respondents being black and (2) only surveyed political donors, strategists, and elected officials. Need to take this down and put out a correction. https://t.co/rODeaZe390
— Current Affairs (@curaffairs) December 18, 2018
“Creating false narratives smacks of desperation, sets up yet another loss for Democrats,” one Twitter user responded.
Creating false narratives smacks of desperation, sets up yet another loss for Democrats.
— Dragonfly (@UltraVerified) December 19, 2018
When confronted with the fact that she had misled her 107,000 Twitter followers, Jeffery issued a thought-provoking counter-argument, exemplifying her magazine’s commitment to “smart, fearless journalism.”
“I mean, as with any group, those who are the most engaged tend to be not only the reliable voters personally but super influential among their peers, so,” Jeffery fearlessly tweeted.
I mean, as with any group, those who are the most engaged tend to be not only the reliable voters personally but super influential among their peers, so.
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) December 18, 2018
For whatever reason, her impregnable argument for fudging the facts was not received well – even though she added a frivolous and very compelling “so” at the end of her tweet.
That's a far cry from "Survey asked black women," which is quite misleading to your audience.
— Eoin Jinglins ❄️☃️ (@EoinHiggins_) December 19, 2018
“You’re not fit to edit the back of a cereal box,” one unimpressed netizen shot back.
“This is disingenuous and harmful. You should be ashamed,” another wrote.
You’re not fit to edit the back of a cereal box
— erik (@erikdstock) December 19, 2018
Some even suggested it may be time for MoJo to look for a new editor.
Is it time for MoJo to look for a new editor? What is up with her trying to push this narrative and double down when shown wrong?
— Crystal (@LA_Crystal) December 19, 2018
The Democrats and the media were left in shock after polls and statistical analyses predicted – incorrectly – that Hillary Clinton was all but certain to win the 2016 presidential election. Taking the latest example, the major hurdle to truthfully assessing the 2020 race may be America’s trailblazing Twitter pundits.
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