Opinion poll manipulation
One of the problems dogging politics in Greece and which calls for cool-headed analysis is the manipulation of opinion polls. Greek voters seem to be caught in a paradox. The media and the journalists had for months been preparing the public for a neck-and-neck electoral contest. Now they are saying that they had always known that the ruling conservative party led the race by a comfortable margin. Their attitude raises a serious question. Had they been concealing the actual figures all along, or have they just forgotten what they had been claiming? This huge paradox also raises a question about the way in which specific media seem to manipulate public surveys in order to advance their own objectives. Kathimerini does not believe that the problem can be solved by means of state intervention or restrictions. Most importantly, the media must regulate themselves by abiding by international rules: They should not mold the findings to suit their needs and should not order tailor-made questionnaires that aim to produce a specified set of answers. People have a right to be skeptical.
