Trump speech gives TV networks a tough choice

President Trump's primetime address Thursday night is forcing TV networks to choose: Air potential 2020 election falsehoods, or risk backlash from a White House that's shown little hesitation in confronting the media.

Why it matters: What usually would be a straightforward decision to carry a presidential address has become a high-stakes editorial judgment for broadcast networks.

Driving the news: Trump has said that his 9 p.m. ET speech from the East Room will focus on "free and fair elections." He has promised a "very big announcement" and "really big news" regarding the security of the U.S. voting system.

• He hasn't specifically said whether he'll bring up the 2020 election — an obsession of Trump's since he lost it and cried fraud.
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios: "President Trump will deliver a major address to the nation on protecting the integrity of our elections. We encourage every American to watch the president's speech."

Friction point: By signaling he may revisit the 2020 election without saying exactly how, Trump has left the networks to decide whether to air the speech, without knowing whether it'll be largely about long-debunked election claims.

The big picture: The networks face pressure from both sides.

• They've spent years trying to avoid amplifying Trump's false claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Yet they also must contend with an FCC that, under chairman and Trump ally Brendan Carr, has opened a series of investigations into broadcast networks.

What they're saying: Officials from ABC, NBC and CBS declined to comment.

Reality check: Networks have wrestled with similar decisions ever since the 2020 election.

• Some networks covering Trump typically have aired a speech, then done a fact check afterward.
• Stations cut away from a Trump speech in the White House briefing room a few days after the 2020 election when Trump baselessly claimed that Democrats were trying to "steal" the election.

Yes, but: Trump wouldn't be the first president whose speech wasn't covered by broadcast outlets.

• Stations at various points opted against covering White House addresses by presidents George W. Bush and Obama.

The bottom line: Before he even steps behind the microphone, Trump already has turned Thursday night's address into a test of how broadcasters balance longstanding editorial norms with the unique challenges of covering his presidency.