DOES the political stance of the daily newspaper we choose to read still influence how we vote?
Or, for that matter, if we bother voting at all? Most of the members of the House of Lords Select Committee who gave the Sun's editor Rebekah Wade a grilling on Wednesday, clearly believe it does.
A combative Wade, who defended her red-top tabloid concisely - and wittily - insisted several times that the paper's proprietor, Rupert Murdoch does not decide which party the Sun backs.

She also stated that she had not yet taken a decision on whether the Sun would support the Conservatives or Labour in the next general election. "I don't know when the next election is but we are looking at every initiative that David Cameron or the prime minister release and looking at it in terms of benefit to our readers.
"For example, on inheritance tax policies, we, on balance, found that George Osborne's was better than Alistair Darling's.
"The process will be with me, my political team and also my health and crime team. We will look at it and decide who is going to be the better candidate for the Sun readers."

This of course, is the current editor of the paper, which famously declared after John Major won the 1992 election "It's The Sun Wot Won It." Since then the support of the Sun has been seen as crucial in swinging elections and the newspaper's backing of Tony Blair in 1997 was similarly seen as a critical factor in ushering New Labour's ascent to power. Asked again about the influence of Murdoch - who had earlier told the same Lords committee that he was a "traditional proprietor" and decided what line to take on Europe and which party to back at general elections - the editor replied:
"In the run up to the last election I was very careful to give the Conservative Party and the Labour Party the chance to show their wares in the Sun so the Sun readers could make up their own mind on their policies.
" In the end however, I did talk to Mr Murdoch. He has lived through political change here, in America and Australia and his advice is always exemplary and good. But I also seek advice from my political team and our chief executive. The way I edit a paper I do seek advice and I am very lucky to have a traditional proprietor such as Mr Murdoch."

It was a diplomatic performance that neither undermined her boss or underlined his influence in determining the political stance of the country's most widely read newspaper.
When the committee's chairman Lord Fowler asked if Murdoch ever told her off for 'taking the wrong line,' Wade decided to move away from politics.
"In 18 years we have had some disagreements. Mr Murdoch is often dismayed on the amount of celebrity coverage in the Sun.
"We disagree about that because I'm a big Big Brother fan and he was surprised that I devoted four pages to it every day. I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here can also cause problems but we are absolutely in agreement on Pop Idol," she quipped.
When asked if the disagreements had been over any more serious issues, Wade joked: "Do you mean Strictly Come Dancing?"