In text-message poll on McCain's speech, MSNBC offered only four positive responses

Summary: In a text-message poll asking what Sen. John McCain's acceptance speech "accomplished the most," MSNBC gave viewers only positive responses to choose from. By contrast, when MSNBC asked viewers the week before what Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance speech "accomplished the most," one of the options given was, "Attacked John McCain."

The day after Sen. John McCain's September 4 acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, MSNBC conducted a text-message poll asking, "What do you feel McCain's speech accomplished the most?" But MSNBC gave viewers only positive responses to choose from; it did not give them the option of responding that the speech was in any way negative.

Specifically, the options given to respond to the September 5 MSNBC text-message poll were:

A. Inspired the nation
B. Explained what motivated his presidential run
C. Outlined his policy priorities if elected
D. Positioned himself as the tough maverick for change

By contrast, an MSNBC text-message poll conducted the day after Sen. Barack Obama's August 28 speech at the Democratic National Convention, asking, "What do you feel Obama's speech accomplished the most?" provided only three options, one of which was, "Attacked John McCain":

A. Inspired the nation
B. Outlined his policy priorities if elected
C. Attacked John McCain

From the 9 a.m. ET hour of the September 5 edition of MSNBC Live:

From the August 29 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

—A.J.W.