Politicians need to move beyond traditional media and conquer the rapidly emerging world of blogs, according to a study that found two-thirds of the websites devoted to France's recent referendum favoured the No campaign.

Websites played an important role in swinging public opinion against Europe's constitutional treaty, according to an internet study by two researchers at the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC). The No campaign set up 161 of the 295 sites focusing on the constitutional debate, helping redress a bias towards the Yes campaign in the mainstream media. The No vote eventually won the referendum on May 29 with a 55 per cent majority.