Our revelation that the Government has been funding television documentary series, and monitoring the content before it is broadcast, will come as a shock to many viewers.
Certainly, it raises serious questions about the extraordinary readiness of Labour politicians effectively to hijack "documentaries" for use as a propaganda tool. It also highlights the worrying eagerness of television companies to be thus used in exchange for a handsome injection of cash and access.
The money for this duplicitous exercise, of course, flows direct from the pockets of the unwitting British taxpayer.
Perhaps the most extreme example uncovered is the ITV documentary series Beat: Life On The Street, which dealt with the experience of police community support officers.
Two series have already been broadcast, largely funded by the Home Office at a cost of £400,000 each. During the editing process of the second series the programmes were scrutinised by the Home Office, which suggested changes to language and terminology.
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