Associated Press in Madrid: How to distort what Catalans want

How can the Associated Press's Madrid office possibly claim that "Polls show that Catalonians (sic) are evenly divided over independence" when YAYs are over 56% and NAYs barely reach 20% according to the latest relibble source, and YAYs have been at least 20 points ahead for several years? http://bigstory.ap.org/article/catalonia-declares-itself-sovereign-entity

This falsehood is appearing in media throughout the world! It has been disseminated by 

• Fox http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/23/spain-catalonia-parliament-passes-symbolic-declaration-sovereignty-referendum/
• ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/catalonia-declares-sovereign-entity-18293833
• Kansas City Star http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/23/4027008/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• 3 News (New Zealand) http://www.3news.co.nz/Catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign-entity/tabid/417/articleID/284284/Default.aspx
• Anchorage Daily News http://www.adn.com/2013/01/23/2762629/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• Sun Herald http://www.sunherald.com/2013/01/23/4423347/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• News Observer http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/23/2627384/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• Centre Daily News http://www.centredaily.com/2013/01/23/3475350/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• The Telegraph, Macon (Middle Georgia) http://www.macon.com/2013/01/23/2327266/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• The Orthodox Christian Reporter http://philotimo-leventia.blogspot.com.es/2013/01/spain-spains-catalonia-parliament.html
• UT San Diego (December 21 2012!) http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/21/spains-catalonia-re-elects-pro-independence-chief/
• Bellingham Herald http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/01/23/2849322/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• Stars and Stripes http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SPAIN_CATALONIA_INDEPENDENCE?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-23-12-57-05
• Charlotte Observer http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/23/3807261/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• Ledger Enqueirer http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/01/23/2355040/catalonia-declares-itself-a-sovereign.html
• and the list goes on and on. Is the damage this falsehood has caused irreparable, and was that AP's Madrid office's intention?

The truth is to be found in many places, such as here:

http://ceo.gencat.cat/ceop/AppJava/pages/estudis/categories/fitxaEstudi.html?colId=4308&lastTitle=Bar%F2metre+d%27Opini%F3+Pol%EDtica+%28BOP%29.+3a+onada+2012

This survey has n=2500! The margin of error is thus very small indeed (+/- 2·0%)

More specifically, the tables are here: http://ceo.gencat.cat/ceop/AppJava/loadFile?fileId=21132&fileType=1 on page 26. 


39. I més concretament, si demà es fes un referèndum per decidir la independència de Catalunya, vostè què faria?



(More specifically, if a referendum were to be held tomorrow to decide on the independence of Catalonia, what you you do? 

Votaria a favor de la independència           1425     57,0% (I'd vote in favour of independence)
Votaria en contra de la independència        512     20,5% (I'd vote against independence)S'abstindria / no aniria a votar                    357     14,3% (I'd abstain / I wouldn't go to vote)Altres respostes                                        15       0,6% (Other replies)No ho sap                                               154       6,2% (I don't know)No contesta                                              38       1,5% (No reply)
See report on this latest official survey: http://www.catalannewsagency.com/news/politics/support-catalonia’s-independence-grows-and-polls-say-pro-independence-parties-would-wi