The BBC has apologized to U.S. President Donald Trump for a misleading edit of his January 6, 2021, speech in a Panorama documentary, while firmly rejecting his demand for $1 billion in damages, according to AP News.
The broadcaster said in a statement that it “sincerely regrets” the way a video clip of Trump’s remarks was edited for the 2024 programme “Trump: A Second Chance?” and admitted that the order could have made people think he stated something different outside the White House before the Capitol attack. The BBC said it has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary.
BBC chair Samir Shah personally wrote to the White House to apologise to Trump for the edit and confirmed the corporation was sorry over the way the speech was presented, reported by Reuters. Shah has also apologised to British lawmakers amid a wider row over the broadcaster’s editorial standards.
The argument started with an edition of Panorama in October 2024 that edited together lines from Trump’s rally speech that were given about an hour apart. It also edited out the section when he told his admirers to demonstrate their support in a “peaceful and patriotic” way. Critics said the adjustment made it seem like he was telling people to confront Congress more directly.
According to AP News, Trump’s attorneys called for the BBC to withdraw the program, apologize and pay damages, while threatening a $1 billion defamation action if it failed to do so. The fallout from this event has led to a leadership crisis at the BBC, with news chief Deborah Turness and Director-General Tim Davie both departing amid wider claims of bias.
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