Marriage Gets Another Ring-ing Endorsement

Family Research Council - Washington Update ^ | 03/12/13 | Family Research Council (Tony Perkins)

[fwdude]

Polls, Sarah Palin once joked, are for firemen and cross-country skiers. When it comes to politics, they're a little less reliable. These days, polls try to shape more opinions than they reflect--and there's no better example of that than the spin coming out of Quinnipiac University. The once-reputable survey house found itself on plenty of news outlets over the weekend for its blockbuster poll on same-sex "marriage." Based on the numbers, Quinnipiac analyst Peter Brown claimed Catholics were supposedly "leading American voters toward support for same-sex 'marriage.'"

Turns out, the statement was a wild misrepresentation of the group's own data. Stunned by Brown's statement, organizations like Bill Donohue's Catholic League took a closer look at the survey and found that Quinnipiac had deliberately distorted the numbers. Instead of segregating the data based on church attendance--as the survey had done on every other question--Quinnipiac intentionally lumped together the responses of practicing and non-practicing Catholics to achieve the desired result: 54% support for same-sex "marriage." Predictably, Donohue says, "the media gave this 'finding' top billing."

In reality, popular opinion wasn't so popular after all. The survey found that regular churchgoers are overwhelmingly opposed to counterfeit marriage--by an even larger margin than Quinnipiac claimed. Donohue's group blasted the organization for manipulating the data to suit their agenda. (Why else would the organization have kept uniform standards for every question but this one?)

"After our news release was distributed," Bill wrote, "reporters from CNSNews.com contacted Quinnipiac. What they admitted totally alters the outcome: 55% of Catholics who are regular church-goers are opposed to gay 'marriage' and only 38% favor it." Peter Brown, whose selective reporting helped mislead the public, claimed that Quinnipiac "only [has] so much space, and can only do so many things up front." (Accuracy, apparently, being one of those things it cannot do "up front.")

Although Quinnipiac confessed to slanting the data, the organization refuses to correct its website or the press's misconceptions. To them, it's an inconvenient truth that the church is still fiercely opposed to redefining marriage. Unlike some people, whose principles sway to and fro with the politically correct winds, our convictions are fixed. As Christians, we stand for what's right--even if it means standing alone. And right now, we're far from alone!

[fwdude]

Proof that these "poll" results are tortured and manipulated to present a desired result. It's still alarming that "only 38%" of practicing Catholics favor counterfeit "gay" "marriage," but this is a stark difference from the fake results trumpeted by the Sodomstream Media.

[Smokin' Joe]

Quinnipiac?

Isn't this the same outfit that tried to say gun ownership was declining in America?

[fwdude]

I’m not endorsing their findings, just reading the news.

[Smokin' Joe]

I never said, nor meant to imply you were endorsing them. I just mentioned that because the name rang a bell, and I think we need to ferret out the organs of disinformation in the media (pollsters count, especially if they are wildly inaccurate or biased).

So, keep in mind I'm not attacking you, but questioning the source of the data. It's how we debunk stuff around here. If I'm wrong, someone will doubtlessly point that out. Don't take it personally, please, it wasn't meant that way.

[fwdude]

Didn’t take it as a criticism. We’re good.