BBC Issues Formal Apology to Former US President
The BBC has issued a formal apology to Donald Trump concerning the editing of his 6 January 2021 speech in the Panorama documentary Trump: A Second Chance?. This significant development follows a legal threat from the former US president's lawyers, who demanded $1bn (£759m) in damages unless the corporation issued a retraction and apology.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed that lawyers for the corporation have written to President Trump's legal team in response to a letter received on a Sunday. Separately, BBC chair Samir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House, expressing regret for the edit of the president's speech on the day of the Capitol attack.
The Controversial Edit and Its Fallout
The central issue revolves around a spliced video clip used in the programme, which was broadcast a week before the US election. The edit created the impression that Trump told the crowd: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol and I'll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell." However, these words were taken from sections of his speech that were almost an hour apart.
Shah described the edit as giving the false impression "of a direct call for violent action". The controversy led to the high-profile resignations of the BBC's director general, Tim Davie, and the BBC News chief, Deborah Turness.
The corporation has agreed not to broadcast the edition of Panorama again on any of its platforms. While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner of the editing, it strongly disagrees there is a basis for a defamation claim and has rejected demands for financial compensation.
Broader Implications and Further Scrutiny
Concerns about the Panorama edit were initially detailed in a memo by Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the BBC's editorial guidelines and standards committee. His memo suggested instances of systemic bias, a claim the corporation denies.
Since the Panorama edit was revealed, the BBC's Newsnight programme has also faced accusations of selectively editing the same Trump speech in a 2022 edition. A similar splice was used without alerting viewers to the cut, a point criticised on air by former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
A BBC spokesperson stated: "The BBC holds itself to the highest editorial standards. This matter has been brought to our attention and we are now looking into it." Legal experts have questioned the viability of a lawsuit from Trump's team, citing factors such as Florida's liberal libel laws and the challenge of proving actual damage from a programme no longer available in the state.
