Tiffany Jenkins to write & present Radio 4 history of secrecy
Tiffany Jenkins has been commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to write and present a narrative history of secrecy in the autumn of 2016.
Secrets have never been more suspect. Post Snowden, post Saville, institutions that keep secrets are axiomatically seen as having something to hide. Openness and transparency are the new imperatives. Any deviation from the new orthodoxy of honesty is punished by exposure.
But the story of secrecy is not as black and white as contemporary prejudices would have it. For centuries secrecy served a useful purpose. It has protected citizens from the prying eyes of governments, it protected the feelings of individuals and it kept couples together. It has safeguarded professional integrity, and protected the vulnerable from abuse. Have we lost more than we have gained by abandoning our respect for the power and sanctity of secrecy?