Hi Anthony,
You make the assumption, as do many US Americans, that "freedom of speech" is a right that everyone has, or wants. We do not have that - we have a free press and the right to challenge anything said but we do not have any constitutional right to say whatever we like in public.
As for the BBC coverage - BBC news feeds are all coming from the same editorial base, whatever BBC channel they are broadcast on, so of course they are the same (you need to see and hear the news analysis programmes for different slants). Having seen US news coverage ion TV and in print I'm a little suprised by your POV but there you go!
Pete
God is our guide! from field, from wave, From plough, from anvil, and from loom; We come, our country's rights to save, And speak a tyrant faction's doom: We raise the watch-word liberty; We will, we will,we will be free!