A leaked internal memo has ignited a major storm inside the BBC, revealing that the network quietly acknowledged serious mistakes in how it reported a set of controversial Donald Trump remarks about former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. But instead of addressing the error publicly, the admission stayed behind closed doors until now.
How the controversy began
In the final days leading up to the 2022 U.S. election, multiple BBC presenters suggested on air that Trump had implied Cheney should be shot in the face or placed in front of a firing squad. These descriptions spread quickly across BBC programs, shaping a narrative that Trump had issued a direct threat.
Their North America editor at the time, Sarah Smith, even framed Trump as a “wannabe tyrant,” arguing he was turning up the volume on violent political rhetoric.
What Trump actually said
While Trump’s comments were inflammatory, the verified quote was different from what BBC anchors claimed. He described Cheney as a “radical war hawk,” then added:
“Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her face… Let’s see how she feels about it.”
The metaphor was extreme typical of Trump’s style but it was not a literal call to shoot Cheney, as the BBC originally implied.
Internal memo exposes inaccurate reporting
According to a memo compiled by the BBC’s editorial complaints director, Peter Johnston, the broadcaster’s own review concluded the coverage was “not accurate.” The editorial standards committee agreed that “errors were made,” though the network chose not to issue a public correction at the time.
This memo was never meant for public consumption, but it surfaced after MPs on the UK Culture, Media and Sport Committee requested its release, following reporting by The Telegraph.
More allegations of bias
The memo also referenced a dossier compiled by independent adviser Michael Prescott. His report expressed wider concerns about the BBC’s political coverage particularly surrounding Trump and the January 6 investigations.
One especially contentious point involved a BBC Panorama segment that edited Trump’s speech in a way that some staff believed implied he directly incited the Capitol attack. While some executives defended the edit as context, others felt it did not meet their impartiality standards.
The disagreement over this edit became a key point of tension inside the network.
The fallout: high-profile resignations
The leak triggered a leadership crisis. BBC director-general Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness both resigned within days.
BBC chairman Samir Shah praised their service but acknowledged that the Panorama edit and the pressure around the leaked memo played a role in the leadership shake-up. Turness reportedly signaled her intent to resign immediately after the revelations, while Davie’s departure came as more of a surprise to the board.
Shah emphasized that the strain of the job not just this scandal contributed to Davie's decision. Still, the controversy undeniably accelerated the upheaval.
A bigger question about trust
The BBC now faces a challenging task: restoring confidence in its editorial processes and demonstrating that it can cover polarizing political figures including Donald Trump without crossing into distortion.
The organization has promised to publish a more detailed breakdown of what went wrong. For many viewers, the incident raises broader questions about how major news outlets verify, frame, and contextualize political rhetoric in a chaotic media landscape.
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