"The memo, which raised concerns about BBC's impartiality, drew swift condemnation from the White House. A lawyer for Trump sent a letter to BBC threatening a $1 billion defamation suit unless the British broadcaster issued a retraction, an apology and compensation. A few days later, BBC formally apologized to President Trump, but did not indicate that it would compensate the president, as he had demanded."
"Context: In the U.S., there is a very high legal bar for people in power to meet in order to win a defamation case against a media company. The BBC would likely argue in court that the edit was not conducted with "actual malice" and that the documentary didn't harm the president's reputation, as it never aired in the U.S. What to watch: Whether the president's lawsuit against the BBC inspires him to challenge more foreign broadcasters, in addition to U.S. media companies."
Two top BBC leaders resigned after an internal memo leaked by The Telegraph revealed concerns about a documentary edit. The memo raised questions about BBC impartiality and prompted condemnation from the White House. A lawyer for President Trump threatened a $1 billion defamation suit unless BBC issued a retraction, an apology and compensation. BBC formally apologized to President Trump but did not offer compensation. President Trump has escalated legal actions against media companies over the past decade, including suits against the Des Moines Register, ABC and CBS. U.S. defamation law sets a high bar for public figures to prevail, and BBC could argue lack of "actual malice" and no reputational harm because the documentary did not air in the U.S.
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