Money is the only guarantee of independence

As Sky continues to act tough with Roop in town, it's having all sorts of consequences.  Sky News has been pro-active about the Richard Keys/Andy Gray story, happy to run off-air clips however they've been found - to the inevitable discomfort of Sky Sports. And Sky News this morning is leading on the new police investigation into reporting methods at the News of The World.

Meanwhile many assume that the slight delay in the progress of the inexorable R Murdoch move to own all of  BSkyB is to allow development of a strategy that protects the "independence" of Sky News.  Independence is a fine thing, as ephemeral as the guarantees that come with "independent editorial advisory boards" and other such mechanisms.  What's needed is a guarantee of future funding.  As other Murdoch news outlets here and in the rest of the world are allowed and encouraged by the great man to tune their agendas, his first tv love, Sky News, has developed in stature and credibility, if not viewers, and its reputation is now, it seems, a bargaining counter.  That reputation is a loss leader for Murdoch, and a very clever mechanism indeed is needed to keep that funding coming if Rupert relinquishes editorial control.