For Iranians suffering a violent crackdown by a repressive regime opposed to free speech, independent media and open debate, trusted sources of unbiased, factual information are of critical importance. For this and other reasons, last week’s announcement that the BBC is to end Persian language radio broadcasts is both dismaying and shortsighted.
The decision formed part of a wider package of planned BBC World Service cuts that will also end radio broadcasts in leading languages such as Chinese, Arabic, Hindi and Indonesian. TV bulletins in Gujarati, Somali and Urdu will cease, too. In all, nearly 400 jobs will be lost, along with a considerable amount of journalistic and country expertise.
