The Toss-up Lie

Great piece in the CrystalBall exposing the lie that the American public remains virtually tied in their preferences in the 2008 presidential horse race.

Alan Abramowitz, Thomas E. Mann, and Larry J. Sabato write:

While no election outcome is guaranteed and McCain's prospects could improve over the next three and a half months, virtually all of the evidence that we have reviewed--historical patterns, structural features of this election cycle, and national and state polls conducted over the last several months--point to a comfortable Obama/Democratic party victory in November.
Trumpeting this race as a toss-up, almost certain to produce another nail-biter finish, distorts the evidence and does a disservice to readers and viewers who rely upon such punditry. Again, maybe conditions will change in McCain's favor, and if they do, they should also be accurately described by the media. But current data do not justify calling this election a toss-up.

But these facts and data tell a story that on broadcast TV just cannot be widely told. It just would not be fair to John McCain.

That this results in presenting a fiction, a lie beneficial to the Republican Party, well, that's what we expect from corporate media.