The BBC has apologized to US President Donald Trump for misleading editing of the “Panorama” documentary, the British public broadcaster said on Thursday, but denied that the issue is grounds for a defamation suit.
Trump has threatened to sue the media company for $1 billion (about €860 million) for misleading viewers over a speech he gave to his supporters in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, as Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory was to be certified by Congress.
The program stitched together two excerpts from a speech by Trump that were more than 50 minutes apart, giving the impression that he was inciting the Capitol riot.
The documentary, which aired days before the 2024 US presidential election, also removed a segment where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.
The controversy has already led to the resignation of BBC director general Tim Davie and news chief executive Deborah Turneys.
What did BBC say in its letter to Trump?
In a statement on Thursday, the BBC said its president Samir Shah “has sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation regret the editing of the President’s speech on January 6, 2021.”
“We strongly disagree that the defamation claim has a basis,” the statement said.
In a statement released Thursday evening, the BBC said it acknowledged that the editing “inadvertently created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points of the speech, and this created the false impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.”
It added that the program “will not be rebroadcast in this form on any BBC platform.”
What did BBC say on Trump’s defamation case?
In the letter, the BBC outlined the reasons why it does not consider Trump’s defamation charges to be applicable.
It clarified that it did not distribute the “Panorama” episode on its American channels, nor did it have the right to do so.
The BBC also denied that the edit was done maliciously to mislead viewers, but rather to shorten a longer speech.
It was also argued that the documentary did not cause any harm to Trump, as the US President claims, as he was ultimately re-elected.
The BBC also reported that the clip was not intended to be viewed in isolation, and was part of an hour-long broadcast that included several opinions in support of Trump.
Trump has launched massive lawsuits against several other major media organizations, including TV networks CNN, ABC and CBS, as well as companies over what he views as unfavorable coverage. the new York Times And Wall Street Journal.
What new claims is the BBC facing?
The BBC’s response came as the company faced new allegations that another program, “Newsnight,” which aired two years before the “Panorama” program, had edited Trump’s January 6 speech in a similarly misleading manner.
In a “Newsnight” episode broadcast in June 2022, Trump’s speech was edited to make it appear that he was apparently inciting his supporters to riot and prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s election victory.
Responding to the latest claims, which were reported by a podcast associated with the British newspaper The Daily TelegraphThe BBC said it “holds itself to the highest editorial standards” and is “looking into” the matter.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko