The Lobbyist Behind the BBC Bias Memo

The author of the leaked memo – which led to the resignation of the corporation’s Director General and CEO of BBC News – works at a British communications and PR firm paid by US tech giants tied to President Donald Trump. Nafeez Ahmed reports

When Donald Trump threatened to sue the BBC for a billion dollars over a Panorama documentary, he accused the corporation of “malicious defamation” for editing parts of his address on 6 January 2021 – the day his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

The row was triggered by the Telegraph’s publication of a 39-page leaked ‘memo’, alleging that the edit of the programme – broadcast more than a year ago – exemplified “progressive bias” across the BBC’s output.

The memo was authored by Michael Prescott, a former external advisor to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee.