Trust in BBC 'broken' as its independence is questioned

THE BBC has been warned that its relationship with the public is “badly broken” and trust has collapsed, after research showed less than half the public think it is sufficiently independent of the Government.

- By David Williamson

Of the more than 870,000 people who took part in a consultation on the BBC’s future, only 43% said they thought it was “effective” in being independent from the government of the day”.

Almost the same share, 38%, said it was ineffective while 91% stated independence from government was important. It comes after watchdog Ofcom found the BBC guilty of a “serious breach” of rules by not stating the narrator of a documentary about Gaza was a Hamas official’s son.

Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston said: “When fewer than half the public believe the BBC is impartial, it’s clear something is badly broken.