^The media is reflective of what the people want to say, but that again is a direct result of how the media portrays news to the people. For example, in Gujarat, many people are of the opinion that the riots were a correct thing done by the Modi Government due to subsequent positive coverage by the Gujarat media. However the national media opposed it furiously and hence most of the nation is against the riots.
Similarly, if Bal Thackeray's rants against Sachin were shown in a positive light by the media, then I doubt if the poll would be 100% for NO. Not all people think on their own accord, not all of them are opinion leaders. Most know only a part of what BT said (usually it is the Mumbai before India bit) and have made their judgments based on that.