President Donald Trump filed suit Monday against the British Broadcasting Company, seeking more than $5 billion from the venerable news outlet over what he contends was deliberately misleading editing of a speech he gave on Jan. 6, 2021, as the Capitol riot was getting underway.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, complains that the BBC “maliciously” strung together two comments Trump made more than 54 minutes apart in order to convey the impression that he’d urged his supporters to engage in violence as electoral votes were set to be tabulated by Congress.
Does putting the intervening time appreciably change the message, the context, or the effect?
The Society of Profesional Journalists, in the US, has a code of ethics that states, “Seek truth and report it. Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” (emphasis added)
I watched the J6 hearings. I’ve seen his rally speeches. The entire purpose of news media is to convey meaning without distorting the message, the context, or the effect.