Powers of B.B.C. Governors
An important point was raised in the House of Commons debate on Imperial and foreign broadcasting concerning the powers of B.B.C. Governors. What are those powers, and to what extent are they subordinate to the Ministry of Information o: the Political Warfare Executive? Sir Ian Fraser, who is a Governor himself, suggested that the Governors feel themselve, responsible in some degree for calling the attention of the Ministry " or of the House " to any case in which the integrity of the service is let down. When he went on to speak of the particular matter of the reporting of speeches of Members of Parliament and the editing of such speeches he was on very strong ground in objecting to Ministerial intervention. Mr. Brendan Bracken was obviously technically in the right when he said that it is the Ministry of Information alone which bears responsibility to Parliament. None the less it is highly objectionable that he or any other member of the Government should have the last word in deciding what Parliamentary speeches are to be reported— except in regard to matters affecting information to the enemy. .If this is not a matter which ought to be left to the Governors, then what are the Governors for? And is it right that a Minister should edit for the B.B.C. criticism which may be criticism of the Government? No doubt in the last resort, in most matters, final decisions in war-time must be in the hands of the Minister. Yet even in war-time the free judgement of the Corporation should be given scope as far as possible, and it should be a matter of honour on the part of the Minister to leave all that can be left to the Governors. But the major interference appears to come from the Political Warfare Executive.
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