More than 30,000 people have so far signed a petition on the 38 Degrees campaigning website entitiled “Save our BBC: don’t let the likes of Trump and his UK cronies meddle with our public broadcaster.”
US president Trump has stated that he has an “obligation” to sue the UK public broadcaster for $1bn after it edited quotes he made ahead of the January 2021 storming of the US Capitol by his supporters in an attempt to prevent Joe Biden becoming president after Trump lost the 2020 election a few weeks earlier.
Trump claims that the BBC made his “beautiful speech” sound “radical” and “defrauded the public” by altering it, and the broadcaster’s director general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness have already resigned over the row, although legal experts have already suggested that Trump may struggle to get his case through the UK courts, and that even if he does the eye-watering sums discussed are unlikely to hold water.
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The petition, addressed to BBC chair Samir Shah, reads:
“Our BBC is a hugely important part of our democracy, and political independence – and accuracy – is a crucial part of that.
“We know it isn’t perfect, and in an ever more chaotic world full of misinformation and bad actors, it’s going to make mistakes and fall short from time to time. But we also know that it’s been under attack for years, by people that would love nothing more than to see it fail, and be replaced by the likes of GB News, or America’s Fox network.
“Critics of the BBC cannot be allowed to use this moment to push for cuts, weaken its independence, or lay the groundwork for defunding it altogether. Because in an age of misinformation, conspiracy theories and polarisation, we all need a source of trusted, independent news we can rely on.
“It’s why we’re calling on you to make sure that the new BBC Director-General is someone that will uphold our closely-held media values, will fight misinformation and won’t be scared to stand up to people who want to tear it down. Someone that will lead our public broadcaster through the review of the BBC Charter and make sure it comes out the other end at its strongest.
“Signed,
Thousands of members of the public who know that our BBC is more important than ever.”
