27 min
Episode 5: Arnon Mishkin, Fox News Decision Desk @standupkid conversations
-
- Politics
On Election Night, viewers watching Fox News won’t see much of Arnon Mishkin, but as Director of the Fox News Decision Desk, he will play a crucial role in how the top-rated news network covers the results of the 2020 election—and, if he can, it’s Mishkin who will make the call on projecting a winner. “If the margin between the candidates is significant, there’s a chance of a call on Election Night,” he says, but don’t count on it. “When you’re in my position, you’re looking at various different scenarios, and we want to make sure we’re prepared for any of them.”
This will be the first presidential election since Fox News broke away from the other news networks to create its very own tool to determine voter sentiment, after Mishkin and his team decided the traditional exit polling done by a consortium of networks just wasn’t providing an accurate view into what different groups of voters were thinking in the days up to Election Day. “We think voters will be better served by having two tools, but we think our tool is better.”
In our conversation, we talk about how the tool—the Fox News Voter Analysis—was built, and why it may be well-suited to understanding what’s happening in an election where millions have already voted, some by mail, and others through early voting. And I asked him what it’s like to make a critical call—as he did in 2012, projecting that President Obama would win the state of Ohio, pushing him to re-election—only to have commentators on his own network questioning whether it was a mistake. “My first thought was ‘ooooh, that’s scary’ but then I looked at the data.”
And he will be looking at that data nearly non-stop until a winner is determined. Then, he hopes to take a little time off.
STORIES FROM THE LAST 7 DAYS:
In Episode 4 of the podcast, I talked to Seyward Darby, author of the book Sisters in Hate, about the rise of white nationalism in America, and how women play an often overlooked role in the leadership of hate groups. She says the news media often suggests that hate is something associated with men, when the truly dangerous members of these groups don’t seek out the cameras, and use a softer sell to reach out to potential recruits.
At Forbes:
President Trump Says ‘Deck Is Stacked’ Against Him For Final Debate
Trump Calls CNN ‘Dumb B******s’ For Covering ‘Covid, Covid, Covid’
Biden Beats Trump In Broadcast Ratings For Head-To-Head Town Halls
President Trump On Tonight’s NBC Town Hall: ‘I’m Being Set Up’
Fox News’ Chris Wallace: ‘Facts Are Clearly Under Attack’
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit standupkid.substack.com
On Election Night, viewers watching Fox News won’t see much of Arnon Mishkin, but as Director of the Fox News Decision Desk, he will play a crucial role in how the top-rated news network covers the results of the 2020 election—and, if he can, it’s Mishkin who will make the call on projecting a winner. “If the margin between the candidates is significant, there’s a chance of a call on Election Night,” he says, but don’t count on it. “When you’re in my position, you’re looking at various different scenarios, and we want to make sure we’re prepared for any of them.”
This will be the first presidential election since Fox News broke away from the other news networks to create its very own tool to determine voter sentiment, after Mishkin and his team decided the traditional exit polling done by a consortium of networks just wasn’t providing an accurate view into what different groups of voters were thinking in the days up to Election Day. “We think voters will be better served by having two tools, but we think our tool is better.”
In our conversation, we talk about how the tool—the Fox News Voter Analysis—was built, and why it may be well-suited to understanding what’s happening in an election where millions have already voted, some by mail, and others through early voting. And I asked him what it’s like to make a critical call—as he did in 2012, projecting that President Obama would win the state of Ohio, pushing him to re-election—only to have commentators on his own network questioning whether it was a mistake. “My first thought was ‘ooooh, that’s scary’ but then I looked at the data.”
And he will be looking at that data nearly non-stop until a winner is determined. Then, he hopes to take a little time off.
STORIES FROM THE LAST 7 DAYS:
In Episode 4 of the podcast, I talked to Seyward Darby, author of the book Sisters in Hate, about the rise of white nationalism in America, and how women play an often overlooked role in the leadership of hate groups. She says the news media often suggests that hate is something associated with men, when the truly dangerous members of these groups don’t seek out the cameras, and use a softer sell to reach out to potential recruits.
At Forbes:
President Trump Says ‘Deck Is Stacked’ Against Him For Final Debate
Trump Calls CNN ‘Dumb B******s’ For Covering ‘Covid, Covid, Covid’
Biden Beats Trump In Broadcast Ratings For Head-To-Head Town Halls
President Trump On Tonight’s NBC Town Hall: ‘I’m Being Set Up’
Fox News’ Chris Wallace: ‘Facts Are Clearly Under Attack’
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit standupkid.substack.com
27 min