Rejecting defamation claim, The BBC has apologised to US President Donald Trump after it emerged that Panorama had mistakenly cut parts of his speech on 6 January 2021, but has rejected his claim for compensation.
The broadcaster said the editing of the footage created “the false impression that President Trump was directly calling for violence”, and has decided not to air the programme again in 2024.
Trump’s lawyers have threatened a $1bn (£759m) lawsuit unless the BBC retracts the remarks, apologises to Muslims and pays compensation.
THESCANDAL
Rejecting defamation claim, the scandal led to the resignations of the BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, and head of news, Deborah Turness, on Sunday.
BBC News has contacted the White House for comment.
Rejecting defamation claim, earlier on Thursday, the BBC was accused of another misleading edit to Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, two years before the Panorama footage was broadcast.
In a 2022 Newsnight broadcast, its edit differed from Panorama’s. Trump was shown saying: “We’re going to the Capitol. We’re going to applaud our brave senators and MPs. We’re going to fight. We’re going to fight hard. If you don’t fight hard, the country won’t survive.”
Rejecting defamation claim, Reporter Kirsty Wark was then shown saying: “And they fought,” alongside footage of the Capitol riot.
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Speaking about the video on the same program, former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who left the diplomatic service and became a vocal critic of Trump after he called the January 6th riots an “attempted coup,” said the video was “mixed” with Trump’s speech.
WHT DID THE BBC OFFICIALS RESIGN?
Rejecting defamation claim, their resignations came after a controversy over the Panorama programme, Trump: A Second Chance?, which aired a week before the US presidential election.
In her statement, Turness said:
“The ongoing controversy over President Trump’s Panorama has reached a point where it is damaging to the BBC – an organisation I love.
“As CEO of BBC News and the current situation, I take ultimate responsibility – and I have decided to resign from my role last night.”
She added: “While mistakes have been made, I want to make it clear that recent allegations of bias at BBC News are wrong.”
Rejecting defamation claim, Davie did not mention Panorama in his statement, but said: “While not the only reason, the current debate at BBC News is understandably a factor in my decision.
“Overall the BBC is doing well, but mistakes have been made, and as director general I must take ultimate responsibility.”
