New Delhi: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has extended a formal apology to United States President Donald Trump for a misleading edit in a documentary that spliced parts of his January 6, 2021, speech but firmly rejected his $1 billion (£780 million) defamation lawsuit threat as baseless.
In a letter to the White House, BBC Chairman Samir Shah expressed regret over the editing in the Panorama programme “Trump: A Second Chance?”, aired in October 2024. The clip combined excerpts from Trump’s address to supporters — urging peaceful patriotism and, over an hour later, warning, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’ll never have your country back”— creating the false impression of a direct incitement to violence ahead of the Capitol riot. “We sincerely regret the manner in which the video clip was edited,” Shah wrote, clarifying it was an unintentional error of judgement, not deliberate malice.
The controversy erupted after Trump’s legal team issued a notice demanding a retraction, apology, and compensation for “reputational harm.” The splice had already triggered resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News Chief Deborah Turness amid bias allegations. The BBC, however, insisted no legal grounds exist for defamation, noting that the program aired only in the UK, caused no verifiable damage— especially post-Trump’s re-election — and was meant merely to condense a lengthy speech.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy endorsed the apology as appropriate, while Trump decried the edit on Fox News as turning a “calming speech” radical. The BBC has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary and issued an on-air correction.
This episode underscores ongoing tensions over media accountability, with critics warning it could embolden foreign leaders to challenge public broadcasters.