This result is consistent with previous polling data. For example, a YouGov Poll [pdf] in July 2013 showed that 50% of respondents favoured the Cross-Party Royal Charter setting up a recognition panel while only 13% favoured the now defunct PressBoF charter. A total of 69% of respondents favoured tougher press regulation, with only 4% in favour of less tough regulation and 18% in favour of the current level (see our post here).
The Poll also asked a number of questions concerning the press including the following:
- “When reporting politics in the media politicians’ families should generally be ‘off limits’“, 58% agree, 22% disagree, 19% don’t know.
- “It is reasonable for the media to look closely into the family background of someone if they want to be Prime Minister”, 52% agree, 29% disagree, 19% don’t know.
- “The Daily Mail should apologise to Ed Miliband for publishing negative stories about this dead father being ‘the man who hated Britain‘”, 61% agree, 21% disagree, 18% don’t know.
It is interesting to see that the public take a different view of the position in relation to press coverage of “politicians’ families” generally and of “Prime Minister” candidates. But, despite the view that the family background of someone like Ed Miliband should be looked at closely, a substantial majority took the view that the “Mail” should apologise for its stories about his father. This is consistent view the results of an earlier YouGov poll [pdf] which found that 69% of all respondents said that they thought the Daily Mail should apologise (see our post here).