Using fear and curiosity about the deadly Ebola virus as a hook, NBC and Survey Monkey–a California based online survey company–announced a new partnership. Issuing a press release titled “58% Of Americans Want Flights Banned From Ebola Countries: Exclusive New Data From NBC News And SurveyMonkey” the companies therein explained that they are incredibly fortunate to be working together to take the pulse of the American people using their talented and experienced executives. The release claims that the “innovative new partnership that will enable them to harness the best of the web’s wide reach and real-time reaction combined with scientific methodology and journalistic standards.”
Despite the title promising a scoop on what 58% of Americans think about this critical issue, NBC and Survey Monkey said nothing more about the data they’d innovatively gathered. Readers were given instead information about NBC’s global leadership role in news and Survey Monkey’s leading position in surveys. There is also lots of information about the accomplishments of the two men who are running the new operation, but nothing about Ebola, flights, death, viruses, disease or even the opinions of Americans.
