BBC Faces Fresh Controversy Over Edited Trump Speech
The BBC is confronting another significant editorial controversy after its flagship programme Newsnight was accused of selectively editing a Donald Trump speech from the day of the Capitol riots. This marks the second time the corporation has faced such allegations, following a similar incident with its Panorama programme.
The Nature of the Edit
According to an investigation by The Telegraph, a 2022 edition of Newsnight contained a spliced version of Trump's address on 6 January 2021. The edit merged two distinct parts of his speech, making it appear he made a more explicit call for violent protest.
The controversial cut joined Trump's statement urging supporters to "walk down to the Capitol" with a later segment where he told them to "fight like hell". These phrases were originally delivered almost an hour apart in the actual speech. The broadcast did not appear to alert viewers to this editorial decision.
Broader Context and Fallout
This revelation comes as the BBC already reels from the resignation of director general Tim Davie and head of BBC News Deborah Turness, which followed a nearly identical editing controversy involving Panorama. That programme, broadcast a week before the US election, had spliced the same speech to suggest 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."
The corporation is now facing serious consequences, including a billion-dollar lawsuit filed by Donald Trump in a Florida court. The BBC has confirmed it is considering how to respond to this legal claim.
BBC Chair Samir Shah has since apologised for the Panorama edit, acknowledging it gave the impression "of a direct call for violent action". Meanwhile, 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."
The concerns were initially highlighted in a memo by Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the BBC's editorial guidelines and standards committee. His memo suggested these incidents point to a systemic bias within the corporation, though the BBC has denied such claims.
