A $10 Billion lawsuit just landed on the desk of the BBC. The Plaintiff? President Trump. The Charge? That "deceptive video editing" in a documentary about January 6th fundamentally altered the narrative of his speech.

We aren't here to argue the politics. We are here to argue the Precedent. The specific complaint targets what we call a "Frankenbite" (or a composite edit)—taking the first half of a sentence and stitching it to the second half of a different sentence to make the point clearer/shorter.

1. The "Clean Up" vs. "The Lie"

• The Industry Standard: Every interview you have ever watched on TV has been edited. We cut the "Ums." We cut the rambling. We move the reaction shot to cover the jump cut.

  • We do this to make the subject sound smart.

• The Lawsuit's Argument: The lawsuit argues that by removing the "context" (the rambling middle part), the editors created a new meaning that didn't exist.

  • The Danger: If this goes to court and wins, the "Frankenbite" is dead. You cannot touch the audio waveform without risking a subpoena.

2. The End of "Editorial Discretion"

• The Consequence: If editors are liable for "misrepresenting time," then the only safe content is the Raw Feed.

  • Newsrooms will be terrified to cut a 2-hour rally down to a 2-minute package.

  • We are moving toward a world of "C-SPAN Editing"—where the camera rolls, nobody cuts, and the audience has to suffer through the boring parts just so the network doesn't get sued.

3. The "Deepfake" Defense

• The Twist: The BBC is arguing that the edits were standard practice. Trump's team is arguing it’s akin to a Deepfake.

  • This blurs the line between "Old School Editing" and "AI Manipulation."

  • As editors, we know the difference. But does a jury? To a jury, moving a pixel is the same as inventing one.

The Verdict: If you edit documentaries or news, save your raw footage. Save every version of the sequence. Because in 2026, the "Undo" button won't save you from a lawsuit. The most dangerous tool in your NLE isn't the AI—it’s the Razor Blade.