Accountability matters. There is too little follow-up in this world. When pollsters or presidents, reporters or editors make mistakes, they should be accountable – which in the first instance means acknowledging the mistakes. (Of course, it’s always easier to hold others accountable, which is what I’m doing here.)

A few weeks ago I argued that “independent” should not be confused with “accurate,” taking to task the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead for a poll of the North Dakota Senate race, which was “independent” but fatally flawed.

With facts now in hand, reassessment is appropriate. At the core of my critique was the need to sample the right people. By restricting the sample to primary voters, the Forum could not accurately gauge sentiment in the general election, which they attempted to do.

Forum editor Matt Von Pinnon defended his newspaper, asserting that this year primary turnout in North Dakota will likely be “similar