The BBC and European Integration, c.1957-1975

1975年6月，超过800万人收看了BBC（英国广播公司）关于内阁部长罗伊·詹金斯和托尼·本恩在《全景》上就欧洲经济共同体（EEC）成员资格公投进行斗争的报道。关于英国是否应该加入欧洲经济共同体的激烈辩论，从欧洲经济共同体成立到1957年的《罗马条约》，一直持续到1975年的全民公决，背景是非殖民化和国家衰落。它分裂了国家及其政治行动者，造成政党之间和政党内部的冲突，并经常改变政府政策。英国广播公司的广播向英国公众介绍了欧洲一体化的问题，该公司一直存在于绝大多数英国家庭中。它作为一个由公众资助的对外国家机构的地位，使它在欧洲一体化的日常话语中发挥着至关重要的作用，“英国人”的想法等等，特别是随着电视的兴起。它的影响力超过了任何一家报纸或其他广播公司。此外，它的对外服务使它向世界广播英国的话语。然而，对于BBC内部关于处理欧洲一体化节目的讨论，或者BBC关于这个问题的节目的观众接受情况，都没有进行持续的审查。该项目将提供这项研究，并在更广泛的史学辩论中讨论：英国国内民族和地区身份的性质;广播在塑造和反映大众和精英态度中的作用;英国政治和媒体文化的发展;以及英国在世界上不断变化的地位的当代看法，包括英联邦关系。BBC将被用来调查英国与欧洲关系的变化以及欧洲一体化的波动。这一历史背景将使我们能够更深入地了解英国关于欧洲一体化的话语是如何形成的。本研究将解决的主要问题是：BBC是如何与当代围绕欧洲一体化问题的话语互动的？

In June 1975 over eight million people tuned into BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) coverage of Cabinet ministers Roy Jenkins and Tony Benn doing battle on Panorama over the referendum on EEC (European Economic Community) membership. The intense debate about whether Britain should join the EEC rumbled on from its establishment through the 1957 Treaty of Rome until the 1975 referendum, set against a backdrop of decolonisation and a narrative of national decline. It divided the nation and its political actors, causing both inter- and intra-party conflicts, and regular changes in government policy. BBC broadcasts presented the issue of European integration to the British public and the corporation was a constant presence in the overwhelming majority of British homes. Its status as an outward-facing national institution, funded by the public, gave it a crucial role in everyday discourses on European integration, ideas of 'Britishness' and more, especially with the rise of television. Its reach exceeded that of any single newspaper or other broadcaster. Furthermore, its External Services saw it broadcast British discourses to the world. Yet there has been no sustained examination of internal BBC discussions about handling programming on European integration, or of audience reception to BBC programming on the issue. This project will provide this study and situate itself within wider historiographical debates concerning: the nature of national and regional identities within Britain; the role of broadcasting in shaping and reflecting popular & elite attitudes; the development of British political and media cultures; and contemporary perceptions of Britain's changing place in the world, including Commonwealth relations. The BBC will be used to investigate Britain's changing relationship with Europe and the fluctuating salience of European integration. This historical background will enable a deeper understanding of how discourse in Britain on European integration was shaped.The primary question this research will address is: How did the BBC interact with contemporary discourses surrounding the issue of European integration?