以下為 完整、流暢、新聞級中文翻譯。保留原文邏輯、語氣與資訊密度,不本地化加工,不簡化內容。
BBC 總裁因「剪輯過的」川普演講辭職
政治環境與媒體產業的變化,使這家公共廣播機構更容易陷入危機
英國廣播公司(BBC)的使命,由其一世紀前的創辦人、嚴峻的約翰・里斯(John Reith)所定下:「提供資訊、教育與娛樂」。但這家公共廣播機構此後還展現了另一項傾向:惹怒大眾。英國人愛看 BBC,花在 BBC 上的時間比任何其他媒體都多;但他們也愛批評它。BBC 的總裁們不時在嘲諷式的頭條下被「淘汰」,宛如 BBC 熱門實境節目《臥底》(The Traitors)的落選參賽者。11 月 9 日輪到其任職五年的總裁提姆・戴維(Tim Davie)下台。他承認在一部關於唐納・川普總統的紀錄片中犯下錯誤,並與新聞部主管黛博拉・特尼斯(Deborah Turness)一同辭職。
BBC 向來是政治的避雷針。從溫斯頓・邱吉爾到瑪格麗特・撒切爾,都曾想將它撤換。要製作能符合整個國家(以及不斷擴大的國際觀眾)多元品味的新聞,本就困難。但如今英國的政治環境與全球媒體產業正在轉變,使 BBC 的特殊角色更難維持。隨著危機頻率上升,外界批評的聲量也隨之高漲。
戴維的辭職源於一連串失誤。9 月,BBC 投訴單位裁定,該機構在轉播格拉斯頓伯里音樂節某段表演時違反編輯準則,因該段表演出現「打倒以色列國防軍(IDF)」的口號。10 月,英國廣播監管機構 Ofcom 裁定,BBC 在一部加薩紀錄片中未揭露旁白者是哈瑪斯官員之子,屬於「嚴重違規」。
川普紀錄片則是壓倒的最後一根稻草。這一集由外部製作公司製作,去年以 BBC《全景》(Panorama)品牌播出,其中使用 2021 年 1 月 6 日的影像,看似顯示川普說出:「我們要走到國會山莊……我會和你們一起去。我們要戰鬥。我們要拼命戰鬥。」但他從未如此說過:節目製作者將兩段毫無關聯的發言剪輯成這句煽動畫面。
11 月 3 日,《每日电讯报》刊出 BBC 內部吹哨者的備忘錄後,白宮發言人卡羅琳・萊維特(Karoline Leavitt)稱 BBC 是「百分之百的假新聞」。隔日,戴維辭職。川普則宣稱勝利,表示「BBC 的高層……都在辭職/被開除,因為他們被抓到‘竄改’我那非常好(完美!)的演講。」他並威脅提告。
BBC 對川普的錯誤剪輯極其嚴重,確實可能使部分觀看者取消訂閱。但英國人沒有簡易方式拒付 BBC 費用。BBC 的主要財源是「電視執照費」,任何觀看直播電視(不論頻道)的家庭都需支付,也就是幾乎所有人。(部分年長觀眾可獲豁免。)今年費用為 174.5 英鎊(230 美元),足以同時訂閱 Netflix 與 Disney+ 基本方案,還能剩下 30 英鎊買爆米花。
BBC 要服務整個國家一直都不容易,如今有兩大趨勢使其更困難。第一,新聞變得更具意見性。社群媒體偏好極化內容,其傳播速度遠勝過細緻論述。同時,電視與報紙廣告崩落,使媒體比以往更依賴付費訂閱者。從福斯新聞到《紐約時報》,各媒體都發現:告訴觀眾他們想聽的內容,是留住客戶最穩妥的方法。而當 BBC 嘗試這麼做——例如在分析型 Podcast《Americast》中提出「美國衛生部長是否危害公共健康?」——也會讓某部分觀眾反感。
第二大轉變是英國的政治分裂方式。20 世紀的大部分時間,投票行為主要由階級決定,因此 BBC 那些中產階級背景的員工,能夠製作中間路線的內容。但近年來,階級被新的政治斷層線取代:年齡。YouGov 民調顯示,右派新興政黨「改革英國」(Reform UK)在 65 歲以上選民中支持度為 35%,但在 18 至 24 歲僅有 8%。城鄉差距也擴大:在倫敦,改革英國的支持度僅 15%,不到其他英格蘭地區的一半。對於一家位於倫敦、且 70% 員工年齡在 50 歲以下的新聞組織而言,要保持政治敏感度從未如此艱難。
觀眾似乎也察覺這點。BBC 仍是英國最受信任的新聞品牌之一,但根據牛津大學路透研究所,67% 自認左派與 67% 中間選民信任 BBC News;右派中則僅 47%。萊維特指稱 BBC 是「英國人被迫買單的左翼宣傳機器」,這句話恐怕會得到相當比例民眾的認同。
目前改革的討論四起。改革英國領袖奈傑爾・法拉吉(Nigel Farage)稱 BBC 正處於「最後機會」。保守黨的凱米・巴德諾克(Kemi Badenoch)表示,除非 BBC 能真正保持中立,否則不應再接受執照費。即便是向來力挺 BBC 的自由民主黨,也抱怨它對該黨不公。
然而,BBC 的生命力往往比批評者料想的更強。在波里斯・強森執政期間,脫歐公投後的政治裂痕已讓政府與 BBC 關係緊繃到極點,唐寧街顧問曾揚言要「痛擊」BBC。他們確實成功任命更多保守派人士進入其董事會與 Ofcom,並壓縮其財政,但綽號「老姨」(Auntie)的 BBC 依舊頑強前行。
其中一個原因是新冠疫情期間,BBC 在傳播防疫資訊與遠距教育方面發揮作用。另一個原因是川普的崛起,使 BBC 作為對抗假新聞的堡壘更受重視。但 BBC 得以持續生存的最主要原因是:那些抱怨它的選民,其實正是最常觀看它的人。65 歲以上民眾或許打算支持反 BBC 的法拉吉,但根據 Ofcom,他們每天也平均觀看超過五小時電視。
批評 BBC 對政治人物來說極具吸引力;但真正廢掉它——以及它那些高收視節目如《臥底》——則可能極不受歡迎。除非他們想被選民「淘汰」,否則多數政治人物只會製造大量聲量,而實際動作不會太多。 ■
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以下為 段落式摘要(保持事件線與主題結構),可直接用於研究、筆記或評論引用。
《經濟學人》:BBC 台長因「遭剪接的川普演說」下台 —— 段落式摘要
1. BBC 的使命與長期矛盾:既受歡迎,也惹人憤怒
BBC 的創立宗旨是「提供資訊、教育與娛樂」,但百年來它同時也是政治與公民最愛批評的對象。英國人花最多時間收看的就是 BBC,但也最常指責它偏頗。歷任台長像《欺詭之徒》(The Traitors)節目的落敗者般,定期被輿論「淘汰」。2025 年 11 月 9 日,任職五年的台長 Tim Davie 與新聞主管 Deborah Turness 因一系列錯誤而請辭。
2. 一連串失誤累積政治壓力
夏季以來,BBC 風波不斷:
- Glastonbury 音樂節事件:BBC 播出包含「打倒以色列國防軍(IDF)」的喊聲,被認定違反編輯規範。
- 加薩紀錄片事件:Ofcom 裁定 BBC 未揭露旁白者是哈瑪斯官員之子,屬重大違規。
這些事件為後續危機鋪路。
3. 壓垮 BBC 的最後一根稻草:剪接川普言論
BBC 的《Panorama》紀錄片使用經「剪接組合」的川普 1 月 6 日演說片段,讓觀眾以為川普說過「我們要走到國會,我會跟你們一起。我們戰鬥,像地獄般戰鬥」。實際上川普並無此連續發言。被《Telegraph》揭露後,白宮稱 BBC 是「百分之百假新聞」,川普更宣稱勝利並揚言提告。這起事件最終導致 Davie 下台。
4. BBC 的結構性困境:收費制度讓民眾難以「用腳投票」
BBC 的主要收入來自全體觀看直播電視的家庭必須繳交的「電視執照費」。民眾無法輕易選擇不付費,這讓錯誤造成的民怨更容易累積。2025 年費用為 174.5 英鎊,比訂閱 Netflix 與 Disney+ 的基本方案加起來還便宜,但仍被視為強制性負擔。
5. 兩個環境變化讓 BBC 更難保持中立
(1)新聞越來越由「立場」主導:
社群媒體偏好情緒化內容,媒體經營模式也更依賴吸引訂閱,而偏向觀眾喜好的內容比「中立訊息」更能留住付費者。BBC 若提供尖銳分析,也會同時得罪兩邊。
(2)政治分歧主軸轉變:從階級到世代與城鄉:
英國的政治分裂不再是藍領/白領,而是年齡與地域差異。年輕人與老年人的政黨支持差異極大,BBC 的倫敦、年輕工作人口難以同時理解所有族群,導致右翼選民的信任度大幅下降。
6. 信任危機:左右觀眾的落差擴大
雖然 BBC 仍是英國最受信任的新聞品牌之一,但根據牛津大學 Reuters Institute:
- 67% 的左翼與中間選民信任 BBC
- 但只有 47% 的右翼選民信任
川普白宮指 BBC 是「左派宣傳機器」的說法,代表了英國社會中日益擴大的政治認知裂縫。
7. 政治人物「喊打 BBC」聲浪高漲,但真正改革不易
Reform UK 的 Farage 宣稱 BBC 正處於「最後機會」;保守黨的 Kemi Badenoch 要求取消執照費;連自由民主黨也抱怨 BBC 對其報導不公。然而,歷史顯示政治人物多半「叫得大、改得小」。即使在強硬的強生政府時代,BBC 仍然存續。
8. 為何 BBC 難以被真正改革或取代?
原因包括:
- 疫情時期的公共服務角色(健康資訊、遠距教學)讓其不可或缺。
- 川普時代的假新聞問題強化了 BBC 作為可信賴來源的價值。
- 最批評 BBC 的族群,也是使用最多的族群:
65 歲以上者每天平均看電視超過 5 小時,雖然其中許多人支持反 BBC 的政黨。
因此,政治人物雖痛批 BBC,但真正取消或削弱它,反而可能引發反彈。
9. 結語:BBC 的爭議不會消失,但也不會消失
BBC 的錯誤確實嚴重,但其結構性地位、龐大的觀眾群與公共服務角色,使其成為英國政治文化不可或缺的一部分。未來危機可能愈來愈頻繁,但要真正「終結」 BBC,政治風險太高,難以付諸實現。
如你需要,我也可以提供:
- 學術式三頁摘要
- 媒體倫理角度的評論
- 「台灣公廣集團與 BBC 的比較」
- 可投稿的 800 字評論稿
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The BBC’s boss quits over a “doctored” Trump speech
Shifts in politics and the media business are making the broadcaster more crisis-prone
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Umbrellas outside broadcasting house
Photograph: Getty Images
Nov 10th 2025
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6 min read
The job of the British Broadcasting Corporation, laid out a century ago by its austere founder, John Reith, is “to inform, educate and entertain”. The public broadcaster has since displayed another tendency: to enrage. Britons love to watch the BBC, spending more time with it than any other outlet. But they also love to hate it. Its directors-general are periodically jettisoned to gleeful headlines, like losing contestants on “The Traitors”, a hit BBC game show. On November 9th it was the turn of Tim Davie, its boss of five years, to be thrown off. Admitting to mistakes in a documentary about President Donald Trump, Mr Davie quit along with his head of news, Deborah Turness.
The BBC has always been a political lightning rod. Winston Churchill schemed to get rid of it, as did Margaret Thatcher. Producing news to suit the varied taste of a whole country—as well as a growing international audience—is tricky work. But the BBC’s unusual role is becoming harder to sustain. Britain’s political environment and the global media business are both transforming in ways that make it harder for the public broadcaster to fulfil its purpose. As the frequency of its crises grows, the volume of criticism is rising.
Mr Davie’s resignation followed a run of missteps. In September the BBC’s complaints unit ruled that the corporation had broken editorial guidelines by broadcasting a performance at Glastonbury music festival which had included chants of “Death to the IDF”, Israel’s army. In October Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, ruled that the BBC had committed a “serious breach” of rules by failing to acknowledge that the narrator of a documentary about Gaza was the son of a Hamas official.
The Trump documentary was the last straw. The episode, made by an independent production company and aired last year under the BBC’s “Panorama” brand, featured footage from January 6th 2021 in which Mr Trump appeared to say, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol…and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.” But he had said no such thing: the programme-makers had stitched together the incendiary statement from two unrelated remarks. After the Telegraph newspaper published a memo from a whistleblower within the BBC on November 3rd, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called the BBC “100% fake news”. The next day Mr Davie stepped down. Mr Trump claimed victory, posting that “The TOP people in the BBC…are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech.” He is threatening to sue.
The BBC’s stitch-up of Mr Trump was an egregious one, which might have had some viewers cancelling their subscriptions. But Britons have no easy way to opt out of paying for the BBC. The corporation gets most of its funding from a licence fee levied on any household that watches live television (on any channel), which in practice means nearly everyone. (Some elderly viewers get an exemption.) This year the fee is £174.50 ($230), or enough to subscribe to the basic plans of both Netflix and Disney+ and still have £30 left over for popcorn.
The BBC’s requirement to serve the whole country has always been hard. Now two big trends are making it harder. One is that news is becoming more opinionated. Social media reward polarising material, which travels farther than the nuanced sort. Meanwhile, the collapse of TV and newspaper advertising means that news organisations rely more than ever on subscribers. Everywhere from Fox News to the New York Times, news outlets are finding that telling their customers what they want to hear is the surest way to keep them happy. When the BBC tries this—for instance, with analytical podcasts such as its “Americast”, which recently asked whether America’s health secretary was a danger to public health—it upsets as much of its audience as it pleases.
The other big shift concerns Britain’s political divides. For most of the 20th century, social class was the main determinant of voting behaviour, and so the middle-class employees of the BBC were well-placed to produce middle-of-the-road content. But in recent years, class has been replaced by a new political dividing line: age. Polls by YouGov show that whereas Reform UK, an insurgent right-wing party, is backed by 35% of over-65s, it is supported by only 8% of 18- to 24-year-olds. There is also a widening split between town and country. In London Reform is on 15%, half its level of support in any other English region. For a London-based news organisation, 70% of whose staff are under 50, it has never been harder to keep in touch politically.
Audiences seem to suspect this. The BBC remains among Britain’s most trusted news brands. But whereas 67% of self-described left-wingers and 67% of centrists say they trust BBC News, only 47% of right-wingers do, according to the Reuters Institute at Oxford University. Ms Leavitt’s comment that Britons are “forced to foot the bill for a leftist propaganda machine” is one that a large minority might agree with.
There is plenty of talk of change. Nigel Farage, Reform’s leader, says the BBC is on its “last chance”. Kemi Badenoch of the Conservatives says the corporation should not receive a licence fee unless it can be truly impartial. Even the Liberal Democrats, though noisy defenders of the BBC, have been complaining that it treats them unfairly.
Yet the public broadcaster has tended to prove hardier than its foes expect. Under Boris Johnson, when the bitter aftermath of the Brexit referendum had stretched relations with the government almost to breaking point, Downing Street advisers let it be known that they were planning to “whack” the BBC. They succeeded in appointing more conservatives to its board and to Ofcom’s leadership, and reined in its funding, but “Auntie”, as the corporation is known, marched doggedly on.
One reason was the covid-19 pandemic, during which the public broadcaster made itself useful disseminating health information and remote education. Another was the rise of Mr Trump, which highlighted the value of a bulwark against fake news. But the main reason for the BBC’s continued survival is that the voters who complain about it are in fact the ones who watch it the most. Over-65s may plan to vote for the anti-BBC Mr Farage. But this age group also spends an average of more than five hours a day watching television, according to Ofcom.
Criticising the BBC is enormously popular for politicians; actually doing away with it, and its highly watched shows like “The Traitors”, could be very unpopular indeed. Unless they too want to be voted off, most will be content to make a lot of noise but do rather less. ■
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