CNN Blasted For Using Old Iowa Poll That Doesn’t Reflect Bernie Sanders’ Surge In Support
CNN reportedly used an older Iowa poll to show Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in fourth place in the state, despite Sanders’ RealClearPolitics average putting him in second place behind Pete Buttigieg. The curious decision has been noted by many, including journalist and Status Coup CEO Jordan Chariton and American civil rights activist Shaun King.
“Look at the date of the poll. Top left hand corner,” King tweeted. “@CNN played that TODAY. It’s 40 days old.”
The poll CNN used is from November 8 to November 13 and puts Sanders in fourth place with 15 percent support. Buttigieg is in first with 25 percent support, Elizabeth Warren in second with 16 percent, and Joe Biden is shown in third with 15 percent.
Per Fox News, the use of the old poll caused backlash from many of Sanders’ supporters and those in his campaign, including the Vermont Senator’s National Press Secretary, Briahna Joy Gray.
“Honestly, this is just embarrassing for the campaigns that need this kind of boost to appear competitive after having a bad week,” she tweeted.
Fellow Democratic presidential candidate and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro also took aim at CNN for their questionable decision.
“If @CNN actually aired this poll today, it’s unacceptable to use a poll from six weeks ago simply because they paid for it. Publish a timely poll instead. Journalistic integrity shouldn’t be sacrificed for corporate interests.”
For at least the 2nd time today, @CNN just used the SAME Iowa poll from the BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER to show @BernieSanders in 4th place. Meanwhile, in reality, he is CURRENTLY in a close 2nd place according to the Real Clear Politics Average of polls in Iowa. pic.twitter.com/4fbZit62Rr
— Jordan (@JordanChariton) December 23, 2019
The media’s alleged blackout and misrepresentation of Sanders’ campaign has been reported on numerous times. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Sanders campaign senior adviser and speechwriter David Sirota started a Twitter thread of all the instances of media outlets “omitting or visually misplacing” Sanders’ polling numbers. The thread includes dozens of examples from outlets ranging from CNN and MSNBC to The Hill and Fox News.
Per Common Dreams, Sanders held a rally in Los Angeles Saturday with approximately 14,000 people. Although the massive event included appearances from New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, professor and activist Cornel West, and actor Tim Robbins, The Los Angeles Times reportedly didn’t provide coverage of the event.
A recent PBS NewsHour segment also provided an example of the purported “Bernie Blackout.” During the airing, all the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates save for Sanders were covered. Not only that, but the program included candidates like Steve Bullock and Joe Sestak, who are no longer in the race and failed to gain traction when they were.
Nina Turner, a national co-chair of Sanders’ 2020 campaign, has previously spoken out about the treatment of Sanders.
“It is wrong and the system is rigged,” she said during an appearance on The Hill’s Rising.
