美國多州大撒幣吸引好萊塢 是否值得

Michigan desperately wanted a Hollywood makeover. And for $500 million, studios were more than happy to help.

美國密西根州迫切希望進行一場好萊塢式大改造。為了五億美元，片廠非常樂意協助。

When the state started writing checks in 2008 from one of the nation’s most generous film incentive programs, productions flocked there, making box-office hits such as Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino,” Sam Raimi’s “Oz the Great and Powerful” and Zack Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

2008年，密西根州這項堪稱全美最慷慨之一的電影獎勵計畫開出支票時，製片計畫湧入該州，拍攝票房大作包括克林伊斯威特「經典老爺車」、山姆雷米「奧茲大帝」和查克史奈德「蝙蝠俠大戰超人：正義曙光」。

Then Michigan did the math.

然後密西根州計算得失。

After a state economist determined that “the film incentives represent lost revenue” and that their economic benefits were “negligible,” Michigan, which cut funding for police and schools while facing a severe budget deficit, eventually decided to end its incentives.

該州一名經濟學家確認「電影獎勵計畫等於收入損失」，且其經濟效益「微不足道」，面臨嚴重預算赤字而削減警政和學校經費的密西根州，最終決定終止這個獎勵計畫。

As the program gradually unwound, “The Avengers” moved to Cleveland and “Iron Man 3” went to Wilmington, North Carolina. Even “Detroit” was filmed in Boston.

隨著計畫漸漸廢弛，「復仇者聯盟」移往俄亥俄州克里夫蘭拍攝、「鋼鐵人3」移往北卡州威明頓，連「底特律」都是在波士頓拍攝。

Now, almost a decade after the state stopped paying Hollywood, lawmakers think they can no longer afford not to.

現在，在密西根州停止補助好萊塢近10年後，議員們認為他們再也禁不起不這麼做的後果。

“We’re not on an even playing field,” said Dayna Polehanki, a state senator and one of the sponsors of legislation that would thrust Michigan back into fierce competition with dozens of states trying to woo studios. “We’re not even in the game.”

密西根州州參議員達伊娜．波列漢基表示，「我們沒有處在一個公平競爭環境」，「我們甚至連這場比賽都沒參與」。波列漢基是法案發起人之一，希望讓密西根州重返激烈競爭，試圖與其他數十州爭奪片廠。

Supporters say a more carefully tailored program will function better than the previous one, creating jobs and invigorating spending. But economists have long been dubious about the value of subsidies for film and television, saying they have plunged state governments into a race to the bottom where the biggest winner, by far, is Hollywood.

支持者表示，更精心設計的計畫運作會比先前的更好，創造工作機會和刺激消費。但經濟學家長久以來懷疑補助影視的價值，稱這些補助讓各州逐底競爭，而迄今為止最大的贏家是好萊塢。

A survey by The New York Times found that states have distributed more than $25 billion to film incentive programs.

紐約時報一項調查發現，各州已為電影獎勵計畫共撥款超過250億美元。

“You could find almost an unlimited number of better uses for the same dollars,” said Michael Thom, a tax expert at the University of Southern California whose work has been critical of incentives. “Who on earth would say, ‘Keep giving the money to Hollywood; my kid’s school doesn’t need new books’?”

南加大稅務專家托姆一直對電影獎勵措施持批評態度。他說：「同樣一筆錢，你可以找到幾乎無數種更好的用途。到底誰會說，『繼續把錢給好萊塢，我孩子的學校不需要新書』？」

Even as officials have rethought public support of private industry, 38 states now allocate taxpayer dollars to film and TV production. Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia have all introduced programs within the past two years. Like Michigan, Wisconsin has drawn up legislation that would bring back its program.

儘管官員已重新考慮由公部門支持私人產業，仍有38個州將納稅人的錢分配給影視製作。亞利桑納州、印第安那州、肯塔基州、密蘇里州和西維吉尼亞州都在過去兩年推行相關計畫。就像密西根州，威斯康辛州也起草恢復相關計畫的立法。

英小報終於放過王室一次 但情況沒變

Days before Catherine, Princess of Wales, ended the wild speculation over her absence from public life by revealing that she is battling cancer, a top royal journalist appeared on British national television and delivered a stark message to the media: Knock it off.

英國威爾斯王妃凱薩琳揭露她正在對抗癌症、結束人們對她缺席公眾活動瘋狂猜測的幾天前，一名頂尖王室記者出現在英國全國性電視台，向媒體傳達一個直白訊息：住手。

“I think everyone just needs to give her a little bit of space,” Roya Nikkhah, royal editor of The Sunday Times of London, said on “Good Morning Britain.”

「周日泰晤士報」王室新聞主編蘿亞．妮卡在「早安英國」表示：「我認為每個人都需要給她一點空間。」

The idea of an editor at a Rupert Murdoch-owned publication scolding other journalists for nosiness may strike some as a bit rich. After all, London newspapers pioneered the celebri-fication of the House of Windsor, famously hounding the previous Princess of Wales, Diana, and exposing the most microscopic details of her and her children’s private lives.

梅鐸旗下一個刊物的編輯斥責其他記者好管閒事，可能會讓一些人覺得有點可笑。畢竟，倫敦的報紙率先將溫莎王室明星化，對前一個威爾斯王妃黛安娜緊迫盯人，揭露她和她的孩子們私生活極小的細節。

In the case of Catherine’s recent whereabouts, however, the British press largely showed an unusual level of restraint.

然而，關於凱薩琳近期動向，英國媒體多半展現很不尋常的克制。

Yes, they reported on the frenzy of rumors, but mostly in the guise of scolding social media users for spreading conspiracies. When the American outlet TMZ obtained a paparazzi photo of Catherine, who is also known as Kate, and her mother in a car, the London papers unanimously declined to publish it.

沒錯，他們報導了瘋狂的謠言，但都以斥責社群媒體用戶散播陰謀論來包裝。美國娛樂新聞TMZ取得狗仔隊拍到一張也被稱為凱特的凱薩琳和其母親在車上的照片，倫敦報紙一致拒刊。

And once Kate’s cancer was revealed, British media were quick to assail their counterparts across the pond, accusing American tabloids and media figures of recklessly amplifying the more outlandish rumors.

此外，凱特罹癌消息公布後，英國媒體隨即抨擊大西洋彼岸同業，指控美國小報和媒體人物不顧後果地放大更古怪的謠言。

The royal family and Fleet Street are a pair of British institutions whose fates and fortunes have long been entwined — and they are facing similar challenges in the new media age.

英國王室和報界，是一對命運和際遇長久交織的英國機構，而且他們在新媒體時代面臨類似挑戰。

Gatekeepers who once controlled the official flow of information — be it palace press secretaries or tabloid editors — are increasingly powerless against the online tide. When it was first revealed that Kate had undergone abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace declared that it would not offer further updates about her condition. Britain’s royal correspondents, who have a long-term relationship with the future king and queen to worry about, mostly abided by that directive.

曾經控制官方資訊流通的守門人，無論是英國王室發言人還是小報編輯，面對網路浪潮日益無力。凱特接受腹部手術消息首度發布時，肯辛頓宮宣布，不會提供她身體狀況的進一步更新訊息。英國的王室記者顧及與未來國王和王后的長期關係，大多遵守這項指示。

But both camps were flummoxed by the rampant misinformation that spread on the internet. The tabloids that once led the way in royal sensationalism — and are still grappling with a long-running phone hacking scandal — were now helpless to shut it down. And palace officials, reluctant to compromise Kate’s privacy, mistakenly believed the rumors would fizzle out.

然而，兩個陣營都對網際網路上氾濫的假消息不知所措。曾經引領英國王室煽情報導的小報，正努力應對長期存在的電話竊聽醜聞，現在無力阻止這些假消息。王室官員不願透露凱特隱私，錯誤認為謠言會逐漸消失。

The result was a narrative driven by online chatter that spun out of the traditional gatekeepers’ control.

結果就是一個由線上聊天推動的敘事，脫離傳統守門人的控制。