Fox News Figures Attack Their Own Poll Showing Obama Lead | Media Matters for America

The poll, released May 16, shows President Obama with a 7-percentage point lead over Mitt Romney, including a 22-percentage point lead among women. Despite the fact that the poll was conducted by their own employer, Fox News figures almost immediately began downplaying the results and criticizing the methodology. On the May 16 edition ofThe O’Reilly Factor, Fox News contributor Dick Morrisjokedthat the poll showed that Fox News had “Democratic bias” because it surveyed registered voters, a group that Morris claimed include many who “are not going to vote.” Morris warned, “If you want to know how the election is going to come out, don’t pay attention to that.”

This morning’s edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends offered similar warnings of the poll’s untrustworthiness. After displaying some of the poll’s findings, co-host Brian Kilmeade warned viewers that it “seems like a small poll” and was conducted among “registered voters, which a lot of the experts say you can — you’ve got to factor that in.”

Fair and balanced.