BBC Independence and Impartiality: The Case of the 1956 Suez Crisis

As the world’s oldest national broadcaster, The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is unique in its contribution to British life and its level of international influence. The BBC is well known for its historic core mission (to inform, educate and entertain) and commitment to the principles of independence and impartiality. Yet the definition and practical application of these tenets are far from clear-cut. Considered by some to be a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization, the BBC has been subjected to much criticism throughout its long history regarding its ability to resist State and corporate pressures. This article seeks to explore State pressures in the context of calls for national unity in times of crisis when tensions with the BBC are at their greatest. To this end, a qualitative analysis of the 1956 Suez Crisis is conducted and is linked to the decline of the British Empire. This study shows the limited interpretation of impartiality by the BBC at that time. Anthony Eden’s Conservative government fought a propaganda war at home and abroad in the build-up to military intervention. The BBC’s independence was ambiguous at best, although it emerged from the crisis with its reputation intact due to its insistence on the notion of impartiality.Plus ancien diffuseur national du monde, la British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) est singulière au vu de sa contribution à la vie des Britanniques et le degré d’influence qu’elle exerce à l’international. La BBC est bien connue pour sa mission fondamentale (informer, éduquer et divertir) et son attachement aux principes d’indépendance et d’impartialité. Pourtant, la définition et l’application de ces fondements ne sont guère évidentes. Considérée par certains comme une organisation non-gouvernementale quasi-autonome, la BBC a été sujette à de nombreuses critiques au fil de son histoire concernant sa capacité à résister à des pressions étatiques et corporatistes. Cet article vise à explorer les pressions étatiques dans le contexte d’appels à l’unité nationale durant des moments de crise, lorsque les tensions avec la BBC sont les plus marquées. À cette fin, il convient de mener une analyse qualitative de la crise du canal de Suez de 1956, qui est associée au déclin de l’empire britannique. Cette étude fait ressortir l’interprétation limitée du principe d’impartialité par la BBC à cette époque-là. Le gouvernement conservateur d’Anthony Eden mena une guerre de propagande au niveau national et international durant la période précédant l’intervention militaire. L’indépendance de la BBC fut au mieux ambiguë, mais l’organisation sortit de la crise sans que sa réputation soit ternie grâce à son insistance sur la notion d’impartialité

Protecting sources: from shield laws to Wikileaks

This paper focuses on recent developments in the right and ability of journalists to protect their sources’ anonymity in the United Kingdom, particularly in light of the Snowden revelations of June 2013, and the significance of collaboration between the global online media organization Wikileaks and mainstream news organisations. It explores two key difficulties faced by journalists: the notion of a qualified professional privilege and the unknown extent of covert requests by public authorities for disclosure involving communications data and metadata. In doing so, it comments upon the opening filled by Wikileaks, which protects its sources’ anonymity through high data security and encryption. This paper’s findings tend to show that the covert practice of blanket mass digital surveillance of individual communications including journalists’ is undermining source protection and the rise of Wikileaks as an alternative model is challenging the traditional role of journalists as mediators and gatekeepers in the digital era

Protegendo Fontes: De Leis de Proteção a Wikileaks

Este trabalho se concentra sobre a evolução recente o direito e a capacidade dos jornalistas de proteger o anonimato de suas fontes no Reino Unido, particularmente à luz das revelações de Snowden em junho de 2013, bem como a importância da cooperação entre a organização de mídia online WikiLeaks e as organiza ções noticiosas. O artigo explora duas dificuldades principais enfrentadas por jornalistas: a noção de um privilégio profissional qualificado e a extensão desconhecida de solicitações de acobertamento de divulgação por autoridades públicas envolvendo comunicações dados e metadados. Ao fazê-lo, o estudo comenta o caso Wikileaks, que protege suas fontes anônimas por meio da alta segurança de dados e criptografia. Os resultados tendem a mostrar que a prática de cobertura de vigilância digital de massa de comunicações individuais, incluindo jornalistas, está a minar a proteção da fonte e a ascensão do Wikileaks como um modelo alternativo está desafiando o papel tradicional de jornalistas como mediadores e gatekeepers na era digital