Trump’s threat to sue the BBC is more than just his bullying. It is part of cutting away of democratic rights.
The issue blew up because of a right-wing coup on the BBC Board. Trump’s cheer-leaders are those who want to demolish the public sector. The BBC is part of that sector. Traditional television is not as strong as it was. These elements see both potential profits, and a way of influencing the public.
The issue that blew up was the editing of a Trump speech on the Panorama programme. This was broadcast in Britain in October last year. It was not widely available in America. Trump was elected President after the broadcast.
Earlier this month (November 2025) an internal BBC report was leaked to the Daily Telegraph. This speaks for the right wing of the British establishment.
The report alleged the piece was edited to say Trump encouraged violence on January 6th 2021. Trump did. He was attempting to intimidate the Americal legislature to certify him as winner of the 2020 election.
The editing did not change the basic meaning of Trump’s words. Nor is there evidence the edit was deliberate. Like other media outlets, the BBC uses fewer people to do more work. That said, there is a real danger of a staff member being scapegoated and victimised.
A Michael Prescott drew up the report. He did not just ‘expose’ the BBC on the Trump edit. He criticised coverage of the Gaza genocide, trans rights, and immigrations – for not being right-wing enough.
BBC Board member Robbie Gibb recruited Prescott to write the report. Gibb was Director of Communications for Theresa May when she was Prime Minister. (The May Premiership was not noted for good communication). Gibb describes himself as a ‘Thatcherite Conservative’.
The Guardian has reported right-wing directors went on the attack in a BBC Board meeting.
Director General Tim Davie resigned as a result of these attacks. Davie has been a Conservative council candidate. For these right-wingers, a traditional conservative is too left wing.
The BBC is presented as ‘independent’ and ‘impartial’. Militant Left understands it is a wing of the state. That said, unionised journalists have played a big part in ensuring much good journalism is broadcast. Also, a section of the Establishment sees comprehensive, accurate journalism important in giving the BBC authority. That is important in ‘soft power’ at home and internationally. Mind you, the same section deploys ‘hard power’ when necessary.
It must be said coverage of Gaza has been rightly criticised for being too ready to accept the Israeli version of events. Over 100 BBC journalists did so in an open letter. BBC management has been too ready elsewhere to appease right-wing forces. For example, Nigel Farage has been on Question Time 38 times.
Attacks on the BBC are part of the Starmer government’s worsening attacks on democratic rights. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has cravenly said the BBC was right to apologise to Trump. She has spoken of “serious concerns and failings” in the BBC Arabic service. That sounds like stage one of a witch-hunt. Nandy has also queried why the BBC has not sacked anyone over a documentary on Gaza. She was demanding victimisation.
Militant Left opposes politically-motivated censorship of media. However, we understand that media under capitalism is not ‘free’. Capitalist firms, or the capitalist state, owns almost all.
From birth, the BBC has ultimately represented the interests of the British ruling class, at home and abroad. In ‘normal’ times it was allowed a certain independence. When it comes to vital British state interests, that disappeared.
Irish coverage was censored, most clearly with the ban on Sinn Féin. In the 1984-5 Miners’ Strike it was hostile at decisive times. It broadcast programmes smearing Jeremy Corbyn, accusing him of anti-semitism and being a Russian agent.
Undoubtedly, the BBC reflects the majority of the British Establishment who are hostile to Trump. They see him as out of the control of the capitalist class. They fear the new geo-political realignment, with China and Russia challenging Western domination.
That said however, Militant Left oppose the attacks on the BBC. Every inch of democracy is worth defending.
Militant Left defends what is good about the BBC. First of all, about 21,000 work there. About a quarter are journalists. BBC journalists are among the better-paid in a trade where pay has been driven down. Their jobs going would enable pay to be driven down further.
The BBC also makes and broadcasts programmes the private sector would not see as profitable. That is important in making culture available to working-class people.
Attacks on RTE in the (Southern) Irish state are not, yet, as bad. However, the current Coalition Government represents a step to the right. We see the proposed closure of the documentary unit, and popular programmes being outsourced to the private sector. The Irish broadcaster is facing slow starvation. Funding for the period 2024-7 is estimated as €55million less than needed.
Reality is RTE ‘independence’ is the same as the BBC’s.
In 1972 the Fianna Fáil Government sacked the RTE Authority. That year RTE journalist Kevin O’Kelly was jailed for interviewing the IRA’s then-Chief of Staff. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and other trade unionists in RTE walked out. NUJ members on the daily newspapers then struck. Wonderfully, O’Kelly was released after two days.
The Broadcasting Act of 1960 established RTE. Section 31 of this was sweeping. It enabled the relevant Minister to prevent the broadcasting of “any particular matter or matter of any particular class.” From 1976 this was used to ban members of Sinn Féin, or any organisation illegal in Northern Ireland. The NUJ opposed this. The IRA campaign, and Sinn Féin’s tendency to self-isolation, hindered the campaign against the ban. It was not lifted until 1994.
Unfortunately, trends in the rest of the world spread to (Southern) Ireland. If Trump and Starmer get away with crippling the BBC, sections of (Southern) Ireland’s political establishment would follow that example.
While defending absolutely the freedom of the press, Militant Left calls for the nationalisation of all newspaper printing facilities, radio, TV and social media platforms. A real free press is only possible under democratic workers control, not managers who obey capitalist governments. Freedom of the press means equal access for workers and the poor to tell their truth and make the case for socialist and democratic change.