"Journalists who professed to be political experts were shown to be well connected, well-informed perhaps, but — on the thing that ultimately decided the result: how people were planning to vote — not well educated. They were left reporting opinions, while Nate Silver and others reported research."
— Election shows data illiteracy is a problem for journalists | Knight Digital Media Center (via amzam)
(via theatlantic)
kohenari:
I wondered what it would be like to have watched only Fox News for the past four years and then to have to confront the reality of last night’s elections results.
Over at the Atlantic Wire, Elspeth Reeve shows us exactly what it would be like, using animated GIFs of Fox’s own election coverage:
“Are you comfortable with your call in Ohio with the doubts Karl Rove just raised?” “We’re actually quite comfortable with the call,” the nerds replied. Oh.
“Right now there’s too much Obama” votes, Nerd 1 says, for Romney to make up. “Yes there are a number of counties out there that will come in for Romney, but the largest thing outstanding right now is the Cleveland area….” Nerd 2 chimes in: “There just aren’t enough Republican votes left… Cleveland is so overwhelmingly Democrat… as the vote comes in we would expect the president’s margin to rise.”
But what about Karl Rove?! “Explain his theory and why you disagree with it.” Nerd 2 explains, “It’s not that I disagree with it.” But the handful of Republican precincts can’t overwhelm the Democratic votes still to come.
But but but! What about the exit polls? “Could this be an exit poll thing?” Kelly asks. The exit polls were so wrong in 2004…. “What we’re looking at is actual raw vote… What we’re seeing is sufficient vote in Ohio on the Democratic side to say that Ohio will go for Obama.” Megyn asks, And you’re certain? “99.95 percent.”
“They seem very confident,” Kelly says, not entirely confident in the nerds.
HT: Seth Jolly.
Hands down, this was the best moment of the night for me, the perfect end to the ridiculous walk Kelly had to take through the back hallways at Fox News because, as she noted at the start of her journey, they’d decided to move the decision room (the nerd station) out of the main studio this year. GLORIOUS.
"White people don’t like to believe that they practice identity politics. The defining part of being white in America is the assumption that, as a white person, you are a regular, individual human being. Other demographic groups set themselves apart, to pursue their distinctive identities and interests and agendas. Whiteness, to white people, is the American default."
—
Mitt Romney, white vote: Parsing the narrow, tribal appeal of the Republican nominee. - Slate Magazine (via nickdouglas)
Exactly. Thus Steele’s excruciating “elected by a minority.”
(via aatombomb)
Rich white men are the minority in this country and last night they finally realized it.
(via megsokay)
(via bana05)
