The BBC has apologized to Donald Trump for editing his January 6, 2021 speech in a Panorama documentary but firmly rejected his demand for $1 billion in compensation. The broadcaster admitted an "error of judgment" in how it spliced together excerpts from the speech, creating a misleading impression that Trump had made a direct call for violent action before the Capitol riot.
The controversy led to the resignation of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News Chief Deborah Turness on Sunday. The Panorama episode "Trump: A Second Chance?" aired in October 2024 and conflated statements Trump made more than 50 minutes apart in his original speech, showing him saying «We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell» as if it were continuous.
BBC Chairman Samir Shah sent a personal letter of apology to the White House. The broadcaster published a retraction on the Panorama webpage Thursday, stating: «We accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech.» However, a BBC spokesperson made clear: «While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.»
Trump told Fox News the edit was dishonest, claiming: «They actually changed my January 6 speech, which was a beautiful speech, which was a very calming speech, and they made it sound radical.» His lawyers threatened to sue for $1 billion unless the BBC met a Friday deadline for retraction, apology, and compensation. The BBC confirmed it would not rebroadcast the documentary on any platform.
Political Pressure
Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey and Anna Sabine urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to intervene, calling Trump's lawsuit threat «ludicrous» and warning the president was trying to «destroy the BBC» as «part of his broader assault on the free press.» Former Conservative Culture Secretary Sir John Whittingdale told Chopper's Political Podcast that using licence fee money to pay Trump would be «unacceptable» and cause «real problems,» arguing the funds belong to the «British taxpayer.»
Legal experts noted the complaint falls outside the UK's one-year window for defamation claims. A caller on BBC 5 Live threatened to stop paying their TV licence if Trump successfully sued, reflecting growing public tension over the controversy.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
