President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC isn’t about protecting his reputation. It’s about punishing journalists and intimidating media outlets around the world. And it needs to stop.

The case centers on a BBC documentary that aired before the 2024 U.S. election. The network has already acknowledged that part of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech was edited in a way that could be misinterpreted. They issued a public correction, removed the clip, apologized online, and even sent a personal apology to Trump. That should have been the end of it.

Instead, Trump is demanding $10 billion from a foreign public broadcaster, dragging an international news organization into a U.S. court and sending a chilling message to journalists everywhere: criticize me, and you’ll pay for it—literally.

This isn’t about truth. It’s about power.

The lawsuit comes just months after Trump secured massive payouts from CBS and ABC over similarly disputed coverage. These settlements have already raised alarms about press freedom and the rising use of defamation suits to silence dissent.

Now, he’s taking aim at the BBC, a respected global outlet known for reporting on authoritarian crackdowns, election interference, and misinformation worldwide. If Trump succeeds in financially crippling the BBC for a corrected editorial mistake, what message does that send to smaller outlets who can't afford to fight?

We, the undersigned, call on President Donald J. Trump to drop this lawsuit immediately.

We also urge the U.S. press freedom community, civil liberties advocates, and lawmakers to speak out against this pattern of retaliatory litigation.

Democracy depends on a free press. Leaders who seek to hold power must also be willing to be held accountable. This lawsuit is not about defamation — it's about intimidation. And it cannot stand.

Sign this petition if you believe journalism should not be punished into silence.