Strib Stories: Now with All-new "Specifics"!

The Strib - which stands to benefit from a new ballpark - is supporting the new Twins, Go-Gos and Vikings stadia.

They're flogging the results of a new Minnesota Poll (and we all know how accurate those are) that shows that Minnesotans are more willing, mirabile dictu, to support a stadium if other people are paying for it.

When folks who live outside the Twin Cities area were asked in the most recent Star Tribune Minnesota Poll whether they approved in general of spending public money for a new Minnesota Twins stadium, an overwhelming 72 percent said "no" and 25 percent said "yes."

But when those same people were presented with the specifics of a ballpark that would be financed only by Hennepin County taxpayers, the numbers changed dramatically. Disapproval dropped to 48 percent and approval reached 40 percent among outstate respondents.

Hardly a shock, I guess.

But the article itself - especially its title, "Specifics boost stadium support, poll finds" - are interesting.

Ah, Strib. So specifics change poll numbers?

Glad they've discovered that, after 20-odd years of mindlessly parrotting statistics like "80% of Americans favor gun control" (portrayed as widespread support for a ban that "specifics" show about a fifth of the people support).

Or writing "the conservative base is deserting Bush" without listing specifics like circumstances and alternatives.

The Strib Poll: The Baghdad Bob of measurement.

Posted by Mitch at May 15, 2006 06:55 AM | TrackBack