Trump vs. the Media: A Test of Free Speech in America.
Trump is set to sue a major news organisation, this time the BBC, again after revelations about its biased programming.
Trump could take the British national broadcaster to court amid a row over editorial decisions at the BBC that has led to the resignation of two of its top executives.
The contents of a memo sent by former foreign adviser Michael Prescott to the BBC’s internal editorial standards committee were published by the Daily Telegraph between 3 and 6 November.
The memo raised concerns about the BBC’s coverage of issues, including immigration, racism, historical content, BBC Arabic’s coverage of the Gaza war, and also pointed to problems with a segment of Panorama, the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme.
Prescott cited problems with the screening of Trump’s speech to supporters in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, as Congress prepared to confirm Joe Biden’s victory. After the speech, crowds marched on the U.S. Capitol, and violent riots broke out.
On Sunday, BBC director general Tim Davey and head of news and current affairs Deborah Turance resigned from their positions. The two BBC executives have denied allegations of systemic bias at the broadcaster.
In a letter to MPs, BBC chairman Samir Shah said the BBC had accepted that “the way the speech was edited created the impression that it was a direct call to violent action” and had apologised “for this error in judgement.”
One of Trump’s lawyers has now asked the BBC to apologize, retract the documentary, and “appropriately compensate Trump for the harm caused” by Friday, November 14, 2025, or face a $1 billion (863 million euro) lawsuit.