Getting the right results

The University of Westminster’s Steven Barnett criticises the government’s “blatantly one-sided questionnaire” (commissioned from BMRB, where Barnett himself once worked) and the use of the results in a speech by culture secretary Ben Bradshaw.

The way questions were presented meant that the 65% of respondents who Bradshaw says agreed with the government’s proposal “had virtually no choice”, Barnett said.

This sort of analysis of survey data is all too often lacking in the press. Often the best they can manage is fluff like this. And The Guardian gets extra points for illustrating the online version of the story with a clip from Yes Minister.