The bottom line is: Polls can be provocative, informative, fun or maddening. But as we move into 2020, it's important to be mindful that news organizations or those interpreting their polling results may not always be providing context that would allow us to have the most complete and accurate picture of the public's mood at a given moment.

Early coronavirus fatality rates as often cited may appear worse than they actually are for a majority of the public because they do not include the many undiagnosed, asymptomatic cases; and because they do not reflect the dramatically elevated risk for the elderly compared to the rest of the population.

My own view is that only under very limited circumstances, and on a case-by-case basis, should we make advance policy decisions to artificially minimize information or censor it from the public's view.

Sharyl Attkisson Quotes