Do Polls Reflect Media Distortion?

The vast majority of Americans are reported to support a war with Iraq, but a new organization is asking, "can we trust the polls?" After doing its own survey, Retro Poll calls into question the accuracy of major media polls. "The Retro Poll attempts to show that public opinion is molded by media misinformation and disinformation (propaganda). It addresses the question: does the public opinion reported in the usual major media polls reflect the true values and beliefs of those Americans polled, or not?" Retro Poll writes in a press release. Based on Retro Poll's own survey data, they suggest that "by continually highlighting Washington's viewpoint unchallenged, the news bureaus in the U.S. can change the facts in the minds of many Americans. The opinions formed from those unsubstantiated facts are then used by polling organizations to report back the values, ideas, and thinking of the public."