Do you trust the mainstream media (MSM)? There was another issue, this time with the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), that should put that question right into the public discourse. Let’s take a look.
What was the BBC issue?
On October 28, 2024, the BBC aired the documentary “Trump: A Second Chance?” as part of its flagship investigative series Panorama. In the program, editors altered Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech to purposely mislead the public.
The actual speech stated:
- Early in the speech – “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
- Near the end – “We fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
- Another section – “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be there with you.“
The edited speech by the BBC said – “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
The BBC omitted Trump’s statement about protesting peacefully and patriotically. Trump spread his other remarks throughout the speech but editors selectively moved his remarks thereby changing their context in the final edit. What was especially disturbing about this situation was the timing—just one week before the 2024 Presidential election. This was an attempt to influence the election. Trump has threatened to sue the network, and two senior executives have resigned over the issue.
The Mainstream Media Has Done This Before with Trump
There have been other situations where the MSM has “edited” a program in order to change the message:
- CBS “60 Minutes” (2025): Trump sued CBS’s parent company over an edited Kamala Harris interview, resulting in a $16 million settlement. Editing choices were criticized as misleading. This was intended to change the tone of her response to a question concerning U.S. influence over Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- March 2024 Campaign Rally – Trump was discussing Chinese automakers potentially using Mexico to flood the U.S. market with cheap cars. In his speech, he stated this would be a “bloodbath” for the U.S. Auto Industry if it happened. The New York Times, ABC, and Associated Press ran headlines highlighting the word “bloodbath” without clarifying that he was talking about the impact on the auto industry. The Biden campaign ran a nine-second clip of the bloodbath statement without any clarification. The intent was to put forth a perspective that Trump was threatening violence if he lost the election.
Other Situations: A Story was Edited to Fit an Agenda
- NBC News 2012 – Edited George Zimmerman’s 911 call about Trayvon Martin, making it sound like Zimmerman volunteered Martin’s race unprompted. In reality, he mentioned race only after the dispatcher asked. NBC apologized. This was intended to paint the issue as a racial issue.
- Katie Couric 2016 edit – This controversy concerns her documentary “Under the Gun,” released in May 2016, which focused on gun violence in America. Couric interviewed members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (a pro-gun rights group). She asked them, “If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorists from purchasing a gun?“ The activists immediately responded, offering arguments based on existing laws and constitutional rights. The documentary inserted an 8–9-second pause, showing the activists sitting quietly and looking uncomfortable, as if they had no answer. CBS is known to favor restrictive gun laws.
Can the MSM be Trusted?
I say absolutely not, especially where it pertains to reporting on President Trump. In 2025 alone, major U.S. broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) gave Donald Trump overwhelmingly negative coverage—about 92% negative vs. 8% positive during the first months of his second term. This comes on the heels of the mandate of the people in the 2024 election. There was a time when journalists reported the news. Early on Fox News used the moniker “We Report, You Decide.” They don’t use that any longer as pure reporting is becoming a thing of the past for all the major news networks.
The Catholic View
Jesus consistently teaches that truth is inseparable from Himself, liberating for those who follow Him, and essential for authentic worship and discipleship:
John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Truth is not just a concept—it is a person. To know Jesus is to know truth itself.
John 8:31-32 – “Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, ‘If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
For Jesus, truth is not negotiable—it is divine reality revealed in Him. To belong to truth means listening to His voice, living in freedom, worshiping authentically, and being sanctified by God’s word. In a world of distortion and manipulation, His teaching reminds us that truth is both a person (Christ Himself) and a path (discipleship in His word). Jesus describes the devil as real, deceptive, destructive, and opposed to God’s kingdom. He warns that Satan is “the father of lies,” a murderer from the beginning, and an enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. I report, you decide.
Please share your thoughts about this article in the “Comments” section.
Peace
If you like this article, you might enjoy:
Online Sports Gambling Driving Higher Addiction Rates
The Day of the Lord
Veterans Day: A Day To Honor Our Veterans
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In