"Where's the Influence: Google, or Murdoch?" was the subject of our debate on Monday 9th November before a packed audience at the Royal Society. Chairman Andrew Neil kept our panel in order - Peter Barron (Director of Communications & Public Affairs, North & Central Europe, Google), Adam Boulton (Sky News), Brent Hoberman (Co-Founder, lastminute.com), David Elstein (Chairman, DCD Media plc), Julie Meyer (Chief Executive, Ariadne Capital Ltd) and Richard Sambrook (Director BBC Global News).

Stephan Shakespeare (Co-Founder YouGov) reported on the findings of the YouGovStone survey: "68% saying they thought that Rupert Murdoch and his companies were more influential than Google at present while 20% thought that Google wielded more influence. However, most thought Google had a more positive influence on people's lives and, if they had to choose between the two, would prefer Google to be the more influential. Looking ahead 10 years, 68% expected Google and its companies to be the more influential, with only 13% expecting Rupert Murdoch (or his successor) and their companies to stay on top. These views were largely echoed by the YouGov survey with the general public." Following a feisty discussion, leading to simultaneous Twitter contributions, the vote at the end largely echoed the findings of the YouGovStone survey.

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