Wiretaps and Polls

According to a poll released by CNN, a quarter of Americans think that their phones have been tapped. In reality, the government is keeping track of what numbers were called and has been tapping suspected terrorists living overseas, even when they make calls to the US. That makes it very unlikely that the average citizen has been tapped.

So why do they believe otherwise? A combination of poor reporting, jokes by comedians who have no regard for the truth, and general carelessness by the general public. The point is that, even though the real story has been reported, what the public believes is different.

So did someone lie? Did someone deliberately mislead the public?

I'm asking because in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, most of the public believed that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and liberals continue to insist that Bush was responsible.

My point is that what the public believes does not always correspond to what they have been told. Heck, many people think that Michael Moore is just a regular guy who lives in Flint, Michigan instead of a multi-millionaire who lives in Manhattan.