The British broadcaster BBC apologized to US President Donald Trump on Thursday for a controversial documentary, but rejected a threatened defamation lawsuit by him. “The BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited but firmly believes that there is no basis for a defamation claim,” the broadcaster said.
BBC Chairman Samir Shah made it clear in a personal letter to the White House that he and the broadcaster regretted the cut. Shah had described the cut as a “misjudgment” before a parliamentary committee earlier this week.
BBC falsified Donald Trump’s speech
In the documentary broadcast on the BBC program “Panorama” shortly before the 2024 US presidential election, three parts of a speech by Trump on January 6, 2021 were edited together.
The cut created the impression that he had called for violence when his supporters stormed the Capitol that day. Lawyers for the US president threatened on Sunday to sue the BBC for $1 billion in damages. They called on the broadcaster to withdraw the film, apologize to the president and compensate him for “financial and reputational damage.”
