BBC formally apologizes to Trump over misleading edited clip, rejects compensation

The BBC has issued a formal apology to US President Donald Trump over an edited segment in a Panorama documentary that misleadingly stitched together parts of his January 6, 2021, speech.

While the broadcaster acknowledged the error, it has firmly rejected Trump’s demand for financial compensation and insists there is no legal basis for a defamation claim.

The dispute escalated after a second instance of similar editing, this one from a 2022 Newsnight episode, resurfaced, prompting Trump’s legal team to threaten a USD 1 billion lawsuit unless the broadcaster retracted the documentary, apologised, and offered damages.

In a statement, the BBC confirmed it had responded to Trump’s lawyers and that chair Samir Shah had sent a personal letter to the White House. “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 6 January 2021,” a spokesperson said. The corporation added it has “no plans” to air Trump: A Second Chance? again.

At the heart of the controversy is an edit that combined lines spoken more than 50 minutes apart, inadvertently creating the impression that Trump moved directly from urging supporters to walk toward the Capitol to saying, “And we fight. We fight like hell.” In its clarification notice, the BBC admitted the edit “unintentionally created the impression” of a continuous call to action.

Trump, speaking to Fox News, claimed the broadcast had “butchered” his words and “defrauded” viewers. The scandal triggered the resignations of former BBC director general Tim Davie and the head of news Deborah Turness.

Negotiations between lawyers intensified this week, with Trump’s team demanding a “full and fair retraction” and compensation. The broadcaster’s written response arrived just before the deadline set for Friday evening.