Martin Wolf on the importance of the BBC

Trust thought for today - the importance of an independent, impartial media to trust and democracy and why Johnson bid to dismantle BBC, because it holds him to account, will be a disaster not just here, but across the world.

Martin Wolf in the FT with what really matters in this debate:

Our age of diverse media has made the BBC yet more important

"...the case for public service broadcasting has become more powerful in an age of proliferating new media and news services, not less"

"Public service broadcasting offers three essential goods: a foundation of shared news; an institution able to hold powerful figures to account; and a cornucopia of cultural assets. Some of this is of global relevance: in an age of fake news from Moscow and elsewhere, the BBC World Service is vital."

During Brexit "the fact that almost everybody agrees that the BBC failed at the core task of impartiality shows it succeeded. The obligation to be impartial at a time of deep divisions is sure to be objectionable to everybody. The BBC in fact did more to make the (Brexit) referendum a national debate, however flawed, than any other institution."

"It is very reasonable to ask whether the BBC should be funded differently. There are other options"

"In our age of division, conspiracy theories and lies, the BBC has become more important than ever"

This is me! The one thing we can all agree on is that misinformation and polarisation are bad for everyone. We must not let this tinpot government dismantle one of the last bastions of impartiality and evidence bassed journalism this the world has left.