The result, and the immediate cause of my poll, is a bunch of papers whining about press freedom and the public interest, which it seems to me (and by the looks of it most of my readers) they have thoroughly confused with what the public is interested in.

Whilst I (a) absolutely am with the majority of your readers, and (b) equally strongly hold that one does not punish the son for the sins of the father, I suspect that your readership is unlikely to be representative of the British public: though I don't know for certain, I would expect it to be biased towards the bourgeoisie. (Ye dogs, did I just use that word?)

Secondly, the tabloids (well, whatever the word is now they're all tabloid) aren't interested in representing the views of the British public, but in forming them: If they read that people believe X, it sways them towards holding that opinion themselves, to fit in with the herd.

(Cynical, but that's the way I think a lot of people work, to at least some degree.)