Constructing public opinion how politicians and the media misrepresent the public

Summary: The media regularly use public opinion polls in their reporting of important news stories. But how exactly do they report them and to what end? In this interview, Professor Justin Lewis demonstrates the way in which polling data are themselves used by media to not just reflect what Americans think but instead to construct public opinion itself. Addressing issues such as the role the media play in "manufacturing consent" for political elites, what polls really tell us about public opinion, and what Americans actually think about politics, the program provides a new way to think about the relationship between politics, media and the public.