The New York Times is capturing readers’ anxiety in real time with each bounce of its wildly swinging election forecast needle.
Before election results started rolling in on Tuesday night, the forecast gave Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton an 84% chance of winning the presidency. But as tallies came in showing an unexpected lead for Donald Trump in key battleground states, the live forecast shifted toward Trump.
The real-time needle didn’t stay still for long. At times, it seemed to bounce unpredictably from Trump’s side to Clinton’s and back.
The forecast currently puts Trump’s chances of winning above 95%.
Readers panicked on Twitter after each dramatic oscillation and eventually starting venting about the needle itself:
https://twitter.com/nwchap/status/796187790329323520
https://twitter.com/mccarthyryanj/status/796181410625318914
The NYT needle jittering is going to be in my nightmares no matter what happens tonight.
— Danielle Rosen (@_DanielleRosen) November 9, 2016
The New York Times eventually edited the election forecast post to acknowledge viewers' concerns:
Has @nytimes caught on to Dems' election-night hair-greying freakout? pic.twitter.com/EoDy3MrFHV
— Paul D. Shinkman (@PDShinkman) November 9, 2016