In an uncertain world, we must defend the BBC World Service

John Tusa during a radio interview at the BBC World Service, London (Edward Webb / Alamy)

With internet blackouts across Iran, a ban on social media, and restrictions on journalists reporting from inside the country, it is very difficult to verify either claim. But the truth behind the statements is something all of us have a stake in establishing.

Amid the fog of war, I believe BBC Verify, which collaborates closely with BBC World Service, is a vital tool for establishing the truth. But just as important as getting reliable information out is getting reliable information in. Shortly after the start of the Israel/Iran conflict, BBC Persian, part of the BBC World Service, increased broadcasts to round-the-clock and launched emergency radio services in Persian.

Russian-backed media now broadcasts on the same frequency previously used by the BBC

Within five days, BBC Persian had reached over 32 million users on Instagram, with some posts being seen over 12 million times, despite the platform having been blocked.

At a time of global turbulence, the BBC’s World Service is more important than ever, for Britain’s national security and global reputation, for countering hostile state narratives and for tackling disinformation.

Each week, mainly through the BBC’s World Service, BBC News reaches 414 million people across 43 languages, including 64 million people every week in the 20 most fragile states. In one such state, Afghanistan, BBC World Service reaches 23 per cent of the adult population, and the World Service remains the only international news media organisation still broadcasting inside the country.

The World Service costs the UK less than £400m a year, a fraction of the £6-8bn currently being invested by China and Russia in their media operations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East where they are winning audience trust as a result.

But the BBC World Service is under immense financial pressure. Cuts of £6m have already been announced, 130 jobs have been closed and more are feared. Each time the BBC World Service withdraws from an area, other actors quickly step in to fill the vacuum. We saw this most starkly following the closure of the BBC’s Arabic radio. Russian-backed media now broadcasts on the same frequency previously used by the BBC.

Worryingly, President Donald Trump has withdrawn funding for Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, leaving the field even more vulnerable to hostile media influence. The news has been welcomed by Russian and Chinese media.

I recently assembled a group of parliamentarians from different parties, current and former BBC executives, security and defence experts, and prominent journalists to discuss the domestic and global importance of the BBC’s World Service, ahead of a debate I called in Parliament on precisely this issue.

Chaired by Reeta Chakrabarti, the panel was non-party political, and included former culture secretary John Whittingdale, underlining the cross-party support that the BBC World Service enjoys.

In a stroke of parliamentary luck, I was also able to ask the Prime Minister directly whether he values the soft power that the BBC World Service brand carries, and he agreed with me that the World Service is a crucial asset and that soft power “very often achieves results in a way that makes it less necessary to use hard power”.

We are absolutely right to be boosting our defence budget. However, just as the Prime Minister said, it is important to remember that hard power and soft power complement and reinforce each other.

I will keep standing up for one of the UK’s most admired, important and influential exports, in the hope that the future of BBC’s World Service in these turbulent times can be assured. 

Peter Prinsley is Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket

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