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Observer editor-in-chief James Harding says BBC should be 'put beyond reach of politicians'

James Harding emphasized that political interference undermines trust in the BBC, calling for independent governance and transparent funding to safeguard its role as a reliable news source.

  • On 21 August, James Harding spoke at the Edinburgh Television Festival, emphasizing the need to safeguard the BBC from political interference.
  • He highlighted recent controversies, including the Bob Vylan Glastonbury broadcast, and criticised political interference or its perception as damaging trust in the BBC.
  • Harding argued that the BBC chair and board should be appointed by the board itself with Ofcom's approval, not by politicians, to ensure editorial independence.
  • He emphasized the importance of considering a funding approach that would nearly double the BBC’s current financial resources and proposed developing a ‘BBC GPT’ to allow secure public interaction with AI while protecting user privacy.
  • Harding stressed the BBC's survival is at stake amid a new information age, urging transparent funding and genuine independence ahead of the 2027 charter renewal.
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The attack on October 7 is considered to be almost unanimously defined under international law and ethics as a mass war crime and probably a crime against humanity.

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BBC News broke the news in United Kingdom on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
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