The battle for the BBC's independence

A former BBC colleague of mine, Phil Harding, has written a first class explanation of why everyone should be concerned about the way the British Government is trying to undermine the authority and independence of the corporation:

This white paper threatens the BBC’s independence. It must be opposed

     The government has announced that it will be publishing its white paper on the future of the BBC next month. It’s a white paper that needs to be scrutinised very carefully: for what it will say about the future size and scope of the BBC, and above all for how it proposes to protect the editorial independence of the corporation.
     Over the years I’ve watched a lot of BBC licence fee and charter negotiations – both from inside the BBC, often at pretty close quarters, and these days from the outside. My conclusion is that in the end it comes down to two things – money and politics. That is still the case today. What is different about this round of negotiations is that so far we have had a consultation process that has been heavily skewed and one which has raised serious concerns about the BBC’s future independence.

Go here for the full article.