The Press has a duty to investigate complaints of 'push polls' in the interests of guarding the democratic process, according to the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Following claims the PLP is allegedly using telemarketing company The Parker Group to conduct pre-election questioning of voters on the Island, a recording of such a survey was yesterday posted on Internet site YouTube.

During the recording, a respondent is asked: "Tell me if you find these statements very convincing, somewhat convincing, a little convincing or not at all convincing".

The statements include: "The PLP has provided more support and resources to working families than ever before. From healthcare to education to childcare to housing, the PLP Government is committed to implementing common sense policies that make sure that Bermuda's families have the resources they need to lead happy and healthy lives".

"The UBP has a history of being divisive and only concerned about the rich. They ran the country for years and only looked out for their friends..."

"The UBP slate is heavily weighted by candidates with no experience in Government while the PLP has attained that it is strong and experienced in Government. Since experience counts, this gives the PLP a distinct advantage in its bid for re-election."

Despite no proof the Police dossier into allegations of corruption at the Bermuda Housing Corporation was stolen before it was leaked to the media, the caller then asks the respondent: "Harold Darrell claims that he is acting in the interest of the people in the publication of the stolen BHC files, but he is really out to spite the PLP Government for denying his approval on a number of projects/proposals."

This week in The Royal Gazette, PLP chairman David Burt said the Party "abhors the use of push polling" but he refused to deny it had employed The Parker Group, which has been known to engage in this practice.

The company was also found to have 'intentionally discriminated on the basis of race' towards an African-American woman, Shirley Ferrill, by the Eleventh Circuit of the US Court of Appeals, in February 1999.

Mr. Burt referred The Royal Gazette to the following statement: "The PLP abhors the use of 'push polling' which is specifically designed to 'push' voters towards a candidate or a party. However, in most developed countries like the United States and Great Britain, message testing is widely utilised."

Telemarketing company The Parker Group failed to return this newspaper's requests for comment that its services have been employed by the PLP.

A 'push poll' is seen as an unethical means of influencing voters through disinformation, as callers 'push' voters towards a predetermined point of view through distorted information, often maligning an opponent. The technique is outlawed in many parts of the world but is not illegal in Bermuda.

Complaints that the PLP is allegedly conducting 'push polls' this week appeared on the weblogs www.Politics.bm and www.vexedbermoothes.com

The American Association for Public Opinion Research has attempted to explain the difference between "fraudulent" 'push polls' and legitimate 'message testing'.

In a statement in June, the AAPOR said: "A so-called 'push poll' is an insidious form of negative campaigning, disguised as a political poll. 'Push polls' are not surveys at all, but rather unethical political telemarketing — telephone calls disguised as research that aim to persuade large numbers of voters and affect election outcomes, rather than measure opinions.

"This misuse of the survey method exploits the trust people have in research organisations and violates the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices."

The AAPOR says people should watch out for the following characteristics:

"One or only a few questions are asked, all about a single candidate or a single issue.

"The questions are uniformly strongly negative (or sometimes uniformly positive) descriptions of the candidate or issue.

"The organisation conducting the calls is not named, or a phony name is used.

"Evasive answers are given in response to requests for more information about the survey."

The AAPOR gives the following advice to journalists and survey professionals that "a telephone survey is not a legitimate survey" when the following characteristics are used:

"The number of people called is very large, sometimes many thousands.

"The calls are not based on a random sample.

"It is difficult to find out which organisation conducted the interviews."

The AAPOR says: "Political advocacy calls made under the guise of a survey abuse the public's trust. They gain the attention of respondents under false pretences by taking advantage of the good will people have toward legitimate research.

"When disguised as research, these calls create negative images of legitimate surveys, especially when they distort issues or candidate characteristics in order to influence opinion.

"They go beyond the ethical boundaries of political polling by bombarding voters with distorted or even false statements in an effort to manufacture negative attitudes."

In 2005, the AAPOR Code classed "fraudulent political polling" as "unethical conduct". The Code states: "We shall not misrepresent our research or conduct other activities (such as sales, fundraising, or political campaigning) under the guise of conducting research."

The AAPOR says: "AAPOR urges its members and the media to uncover instances of political telemarketing under the guise of research and help us alert the public promptly when these fraudulent political polls occur."

On the subject of 'message testing' it says: "Despite their legitimacy of purpose, message testing surveys occasionally generate vigorous complaint. They are sometimes the subject of public controversy in political campaigns, and may appear in press stories about dubious campaign practices.

"AAPOR recognises that message tests may need to communicate positive or negative information in strongly political terms, in a tone similar to campaign advertisements. Still, these surveys should be judged by the same ethical standards as any other poll of the public: Do they include any false or misleading statements? Do they treat the respondent with fairness and respect?"

The American Association of Political Consultants describes 'push polls' as "designed specifically to persuade".

The organisation says: "The AAPC acknowledges, of course, that voter persuasion by telephone is a perfectly legitimate campaign practice. What we condemn is advocacy phone calling that: Masquerades as survey research; Fails to clearly and accurately identify the sponsor of the call; or Presents false or misleading information to the voter."