BBC apologises to Trump over edited January 6 speech But rejects compensation claims

The BBC has issued an apology to US President Donald Trump over a Panorama episode that edited portions of his January 6, 2021, speech, but it rejected his demands for financial compensation.

The broadcaster acknowledged that the edit had given "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action" and confirmed that it would not air the 2024 programme again.

Trump’s legal team had threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion (£759 million) unless the corporation issued a retraction, offered an apology, and provided compensation.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Breakfast that she was confident the corporation was "gripping this with the seriousness that it demands," emphasising that her role is to ensure "the highest standards are upheld."

She also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, stating that the BBC’s editorial standards and guidelines were "in some cases not robust enough and in other cases not consistently applied." She added that there needed to be oversight by people "at a very senior level with a journalistic background."

On the question of political appointments to the BBC’s board, she said these would be reviewed in the corporation’s charter review, referring specifically to member Sir Robbie Gibb, a former adviser to Theresa May. While such matters fall under the board and chairman, Nandy noted that "those appointments damaged confidence and trust in the BBC's impartiality."

The BBC confirmed that its lawyers had responded to Trump’s legal letter, received on November 9. A spokesperson said: "BBC chair Samir Shah has 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 on January 6, 2021, which featured in the programme."

The spokesperson added: "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."

In his original speech, Trump said: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women." More than 50 minutes later, he added: "And we fight. We fight like hell."

In the Panorama episode, the footage combined these lines, presenting it as: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."

Trump, speaking to Fox News, said his speech had been "butchered" and that the way it was presented had "defrauded" viewers.

The letter from Trump’s lawyers demands a "full and fair retraction" of the programme, an apology, and that the BBC "appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused."

By Tamilla Hasanova