The BBC's reputation for impartiality and independence is one of the cornestones of its value system, witch also underpins its self-declared mission to "inform, educate and entertain". However, these values have constantly been redefined as several forms of censorship and self-censorship have been applied in the context of conflict with political or economic powers. This means that the role and independence of the BBC as a public service needs to be questioned and the grey areas and silences of the BBC from its creation in 1922 to the beginning of its digital era in 1995 need to be the objects of inquiry.