BBC Apologises to Donald Trump Over Edited Speech While Rejecting $1 Billion Defamation Claim

The BBC has issued an apology to Donald Trump after editing a speech in a manner that suggested he advocated violence. The British broadcaster confirmed it would not air the programme again.

London:

On Thursday, Britain's BBC apologised to Donald Trump following accusations that they had edited a speech to make it appear as though he was encouraging violent behavior. This apology comes as the broadcaster attempts to avoid the U.S. president's threatened legal action, though they maintained there is no basis for a defamation claim.

In an official statement, the BBC revealed that its chair Samir Shah had personally written to the White House expressing that both he and the corporation were "sorry" for the edit. The broadcaster also confirmed it has no intention of showing the Panorama documentary on any of its platforms again.

"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 stated.

The controversy emerged following leaked internal accusations of bias within the BBC, specifically regarding how it edited a 2021 speech by Trump delivered on the day his supporters stormed the Capitol. This scandal has resulted in the resignation of the broadcaster's two top leaders and prompted Trump to threaten a $1 billion lawsuit.

This situation puts the BBC in a precarious position where it might need to use funds collected from viewer license fees to compensate the U.S. president for an error of its own making, providing additional ammunition to critics at a time when an increasing number of people are cancelling their annual license fee payments.

Trump's legal team had demanded that the BBC withdraw the Panorama programme, issue an apology to the president, and provide appropriate compensation for harm caused, or face legal action seeking damages of at least $1 billion.