BBC Admits Fault in Panorama Edit Involving Trump but Refuses to Pay Damages
The BBC has apologised to US President Donald Trump for a Panorama episode that stitched together separate moments from his 6 January 2021 speech, creating what the broadcaster now acknowledges was a misleading impression. Although the BBC admits the edit wrongly suggested Trump had made a direct call for violent action, it insists it will not pay the compensation his team is demanding. Trump’s lawyers have threatened a $1bn (£759m) lawsuit unless the BBC retracts the programme, issues a full apology, and provides financial redress. The controversy has already triggered the resignations of director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness. The apology was published just hours after the Daily Telegraph revealed a similar editing issue in a 2022 Newsnight programme. In its formal correction, the BBC said the Panorama edit unintentionally implied it was showing one continuous passage of Trump’s speech, when it had actually combined excerpts taken nearly an hour apart. BBC ...
