Britain’s BBC apologised to Donald Trump for editing a speech to make it look like he had advocated violence, seeking to ward off the U.S. president’s threat of legal action, but the broadcaster rejected the basis for a defamation claim.
In a statement, 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, adding that the broadcaster has no plans to rebroadcast the Panorama documentary on any of its 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 $1 billion lawsuit.
That puts the BBC at risk of having to use money paid by its viewers to compensate the U.S. president for an error of its own making, handing more ammunition to critics at a time when growing numbers are cancelling their annual licence fee payment.
Trump’s lawyers had told the BBC to withdraw the Panorama programme, apologise to the president and appropriately compensate him for the harm caused, or face a lawsuit seeking damages of at least $1 billion.
