Perverted Polls – Do corrupt telephone polls by careless broadcasters reduce the credibility of public consultations?

When even Blue Peter has to apologise for misleading callers to its show, and virtually every other broadcaster has had to run for cover lest its practices be placed under scrutiny, you can be sure that something pretty rotten has been discovered. And for once it’s not politicians that stand accused of misleading the public!

In fact, there are probably many senior civil servants, Government Ministers and even celebrities who are quietly satisfied that the holier-than-thou media has, for once, had its come-uppance. Programme-makers and their bosses, for their part, are fully aware of the damage to their reputation caused by the cavalier way they appear to have treated their customers; they know it will take years to restore the trust they have squandered.