Please let this trend grow

Citing financial considerations, McClatchy is discontinuing polling for the foreseeable future. The article goes on to say that it's a growing trend in newsrooms as they struggle with costs.

The death of the daily poll blitz can't come soon enough for me. The data is too easily manipulated and polling has become such a big business that there's just too damn many polls with conflicting results -- depending on who commissions them -- for them to have any real value anymore. Not that it stops our idiot politicians from giving them way too much weight in making policy decisions.

In a 24/7 news cycle, the temperment of the public changes hourly on some days. Mass panic based on unfounded rumors is easily induced and the real facts never get as much traction. Eliminating polling altogether would go a long way towards bringing some cool-headed reality back into our discourse. [via pwire]