Media

Social media celebrates after NYT takes down election needle

by Jacqueline Thomsen - 03/13/18 10:09 PM ET

The New York Times took down its infamous election night needle Tuesday night after a key district decided not to release precinct results in the Pennsylvania House special election, throwing off how the needle makes predictions.

The Times’s Nate Cohn, who helps run the needle, tweeted about the issues with the election forecaster.

He said that Westmoreland County — a GOP stronghold in the 18th district — wasn’t planning on releasing results by precinct, and that the Times “can’t responsibly make a forecast without data from there.”

{mosads}

“If Westmoreland finishes its count, and the race is still uncalled, we’ll try and turn it back on,” Cohn tweeted.

If Westmoreland finishes its count, and the race is still uncalled, we’ll try and turn it back on.

— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) March 14, 2018

However, many on social media celebrated the needle’s demise. The election forecaster became infamous after initially predicting that Hillary Clinton would easily win before President Trump’s upset in the 2016 presidential election.

The Day The Needle Died

— Dylan Scott (@dylanlscott) March 14, 2018

The loved and hated @nytimes “needle” has broken down (at least temporarily). The only thing that can fix a bad (guy with a) needle is a good (guy with a) needle.

— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) March 14, 2018

Can’t believe @Nate_Cohn fired the needle via tweet

— Colin Diersing (@cdiersing) March 14, 2018

In the end, the real needle was the friends we made along the way

— Brett LoGiurato (@BrettLoGiurato) March 14, 2018

Scene: New York Times headquarters

Editor: What do you mean, you can’t turn the needle off?

Cohn: It’s… become self aware!

[Nate is impaled by massive needle in gruesome fashion] https://t.co/fp5m5ji8pQ

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) March 14, 2018