By Steve Kupferman

Wednesday’s Pollstra Research poll, showing Rob Ford leading his mayoralty competitors by a wide margin, may not be credible. Shortly after the poll was first publicized, several active Twitterers, most notably Global’s Jackson Proskow, began to investigate Pollstra’s credentials, and found them wanting. (The company is only two years old, and lists a Hamilton P.O. box as their GTA address.) The Globe and the Post have updated their articles on the poll with prominent disclaimers. The Star revised their article to exclude Pollstra entirely. Toronto Life waited until the smoke had cleared and then pronounced the poll “sketchy.” [UPDATE, 7:10 P.M.: Pollstra just posted a new FAQ about themselves, presumably to allay concerns about their legitimacy. Apparently, they actually do have offices and employees. They attribute their lack of public profile to the fact that they ordinarily don't release their poll results to the media. Jackson Proskow is now somewhat mollified. Phew?]