The BBC issued an apology to President Donald Trump on Thursday regarding an edited version of his speech from January 6, 2021. The network clarified that while they regret the misleading edit, they maintained that it did not defame Trump, refuting his threat of a $1 billion US lawsuit.
In a personal letter to the White House, BBC’s chair, Samir Shah, expressed regret over the edited speech, which was aired before some of Trump’s supporters breached the U.S. Capitol during the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
Acknowledging the unintentional misrepresentation caused by the edit, the BBC admitted that the edited segments of Trump’s speech, taken from different points in the address and spliced together, incorrectly suggested a direct call for violent action. The network confirmed that there are no intentions to re-broadcast the documentary.
Trump’s legal team had demanded an apology from the BBC and threatened legal action over the harm caused by the documentary. While the BBC’s statement did not address Trump’s request for compensation for financial and reputational damages, the network’s headline emphasized their refusal to pay any compensation.
The controversy arose from an episode of the BBC’s investigative series “Panorama — Trump: A Second Chance?” aired ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The production company behind the film had combined excerpts from different parts of Trump’s 2021 speech, creating a misleading quote where Trump seemed to incite his supporters to “fight like hell,” omitting his call for peaceful demonstrations.
Following the backlash, BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, and news chief, Deborah Turness, resigned, citing the negative impact on the BBC’s reputation. Trump’s lawyer demanded a full retraction of the documentary and removal of any false or defamatory statements about the president.
Legal experts have noted the challenges Trump may face if pursuing a lawsuit, as defamation damages in the U.K. and U.S. have limitations, and the deadline for bringing a case in English courts has passed. Despite skepticism around the merit of Trump’s claims against the media, he has secured settlements from U.S. media outlets in the past and may seek compensation from the BBC as a result of the editing error.
