I opened the editorial of the first BBC centenary special issue on something of a downbeat note, relating the existential challenges the institution currently faces. Early 2022 has offered little to inspire optimism. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries (offering a strategic distraction from a seemingly endless stream of bad publicity for the UK government) announced via Tweet on Sunday 16 January a freeze on the licence free and a ‘discussion’ on the future for BBC funding (Waterson, 2022). While the institution has faced down hostile governments in the past, there appears to be a broader consensus than ever before that its funding model is unfit for the future. Financing the institution through licence fee offers the benefit of stability and the ability to invest long-term. It has been the bulwark on which the institution is built, offering a sense of communal ownership. As a recent promotional campaign puts it, contributing via the licence fee makes it, for the British public, ‘our’ BBC. It also has the considerable downside of being a flat hypothecated tax in all but name, easily criticised as regressive and unfair. Creative, sustainable alternatives to the model can be found as long as the ‘discussion’ around the future of the BBC is conducted in good faith. Unfortunately, the current government has done little to assure us that it is capable of doing so.

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社论

我以某种悲观的语气打开了第一期 BBC 百年特刊的社论，讲述了该机构目前面临的生存挑战。2022 年初几乎无法激发乐观情绪。1 月 16 日星期日，文化大臣纳丁·多里斯（为英国政府看似无休止的负面宣传提供战略性注意力）通过推特宣布冻结免费许可并“讨论”BBC 资助的未来（沃特森，2022 年） ）。尽管该机构过去曾面对敌对政府，但似乎比以往任何时候都更广泛地达成共识，即其资助模式不适合未来。通过许可费为该机构融资提供了稳定性和长期投资能力的好处。它一直是建立机构的堡垒，提供一种共同拥有感。正如最近的一次宣传活动所说，通过许可费做出贡献使英国公众成为“我们的”BBC。它还有一个相当大的缺点，即除了名义上的统一的抵押税外，它很容易被批评为累退和不公平。只要真诚地围绕 BBC 的未来进行“讨论”，就可以找到该模型的创造性、可持续的替代方案。不幸的是，现任政府几乎没有向我们保证它有能力这样做。只要真诚地围绕 BBC 的未来进行“讨论”，就可以找到该模型的可持续替代方案。不幸的是，现任政府几乎没有向我们保证它有能力这样做。只要真诚地围绕 BBC 的未来进行“讨论”，就可以找到该模型的可持续替代方案。不幸的是，现任政府几乎没有向我们保证它有能力这样做。