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The "attack" of the Freepers on the Spiegel-Online vote has, with exagerrating it, news value. If it were just this one case of one Vote, that news value would be limited. But in the case of the Freepers, it's about an organized group that engages in a massive undertaking, whereever they can, to manipulate "expressions of public opinion" like Votes.

"Attacks"? "Manipulate expression of public opinion"?

These are Internet polls accessible to anybody on the Internet from Munich to Bombay. They have as much scientific validity as the daily horoscope.

If Spiegel-Online wants a closed vote, let them have log-in passwords like FreeRepublic does. If Spiegel-Online has votes open to anyone on the Internet, then we are entitled to our votes just like any others individuals on the Internet.

I would have preferred a more humorous reply from the Spiegel myself but the Spiegel is NEVER funny. They are out on a mission to "educate" the German public and often pretend to hold the "truth" to everything. That said the Spiegel is not a bad read.
The "manipulation" is bogus: What the Spiegel doesn't understand is that nobody who voted for Bush tried to "manipulate" the German public into thinking that all of the sudden 60% of Germans believe that GWB has done an excellent job. It was just good fun to see them rub their eyes and think: "Shit, what happened".
What happens now is rather annoying because it seems to "prove" the point that Germans have no humor. Now 72% have voted against Bush, thats 600000 people. Talking about mobilizing the masses! (OK, many will have voted a lot of times). But what's there to prove? Waste of time.
Still, you can't complain: I guess it's the first time that hundredthousands of German readers have heard about Free Republic, Little Green Footballs and Davids Medienkritik.
Ok Freepers, this poll is lost (unless you can mobilize a million votes in the next day, but you got a lot of publicity.

OK and we Germans ARE funny!!! If we had friends they would confirm that!!!