The BBC has apologised to Donald Trump over edits it made to a 2021 speech that appeared to show him directly inciting his supporters to riot at the US Capitol, but says it will not pay compensation.
The corporation also said it will not air the 2024 edition of its Panorama program again. Earlier, it emerged that another BBC program, Newsnight, showed a similar edit of Trump’s speech in 2022.
A BBC spokesperson said lawyers had written to the president’s legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday.
“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 spokesperson said.
Trump has lashed out at the BBC for a documentary featuring his January 6, 2021 speech on Capitol Hill, threatening to sue the public broadcaster for $US1 billion ($1.5 billion).Credit: Bloomberg
Chairman Samir Shah had also “separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry for the edit of the president’s speech”, the spokesperson added.
Lawyers for Trump have threatened to sue the BBC for $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) in damages over the episode.
On Monday, the corporation’s director-general, Tim Davie, and news chief executive Deborah Turness resigned amid the fallout over the footage, which was revealed in a leaked internal memo that also highlighted other alleged editorial issues.
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