The BBC has apologised to US President Donald Trump for broadcasting a Panorama documentary that it admits deceptively edited a speech he gave ahead of the Capitol riots in 2021.
The company admitted earlier that an episode of its Panorama series shown in 2024 gave the wrong impression that “rioters were taking instructions directly from Donald Trump.” On Thursday, a BBC spokesperson confirmed that the network’s chair, Samir Shah, had sent a personal letter to the White House “making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry” and promised not to rebroadcast the documentary on any platforms.
“While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim,” the spokesperson added. Trump has accused media outlets of spreading lies and threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion (£758 million) unless it apologised, retracted the documentary and compensated him.
The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has described the network as a “leftist propaganda machine”. The alleged saga led to the resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness.
Multiple British MPs criticised the network, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calling the edit of Trump’s speech “absolutely shocking”. The BBC has also faced a lot of criticism for its defensive (pro-Israel) coverage of Israel’s Gaza invasion.
On 6 January 2021, supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. The riot left five people dead and dozens injured and led to Trump’s second impeachment and hundreds of criminal prosecutions.
Also Read: BBC bosses resign amid Donald Trump documentary edit controversy
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