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The BBC has apologised to Donald Trump for editing a speech to make it look like he had advocated violence, following the US president’s threat of legal action, but the broadcaster rejected the basis for a defamation claim.
In a statement on Thursday, the BBC said its chair Samir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to Trump that he and the corporation were “sorry” for the edit.
The BBC has announced there will be no reruns of the Panorama documentary on any of its channels or platforms.
“While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim,” the BBC said.
The leaking of internal accusations of bias at the BBC, including in the way it edited a 2021 speech by Trump on the day his supporters overran the Capitol, has forced its top two leaders to quit and for Trump to threaten a US$1 billion ($1.5 billion) lawsuit.
This decision positions the broadcaster in a precarious situation, potentially requiring it to use viewer-funded resources to compensate the U.S. president for a mistake of its own doing. This development comes at a sensitive time, as the BBC faces increasing scrutiny from critics amid a rise in the number of people opting out of their annual licence fee payments.
Trump’s lawyers had told the BBC to withdraw the Panorama program, apologise to the president and appropriately compensate him for the harm caused, or face a lawsuit seeking damages.
