The inclusion of methodological information in poll-based news: How do Spanish newspapers conform to professional recommendations and legal requirements?

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Based on the results, we make recommendations for the reporting of polls in Spain and beyond: • When poll results are reported in the news, methodological information is needed for the public and other stakeholders to assess their reliability and validity. Disclosure does not guarantee quality, but the inclusion of all the information permits a complete assessment of the validity of the research and its results. • We recommend providing a link to the web address of the pollster or to full details of the poll at stake on the media’s own website. The link can be included in any news item, written or spoken. • Researchers should also adhere to the professional guidelines to improve their reports to clients. If they do not provide the proper information to the media, the reporting will always be deficient. • The reputation of pollsters is damaged when surveys fail to predict electoral results, so they are the most interested in disclosing their procedures if they are properly done. So, if it is not possible to give all the information about the poll in the media website, researchers could offer space in their own websites. • Research and media organisations should work more closely with each other to put forth the best news reporting of poll data.

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