BBC bias row: How the spat between the broadcaster and Trump unfolded
Donald Trump has announced his intention to sue the BBC next week after the broadcaster apologized but refused to offer compensation over a controversial issue. Panorama documentary.
The programme, which aired just a week before the 2024 US election results, has been accused of misleadingly editing a speech Mr Trump gave on January 6, 2021.
By splicing together two separate clips, it created the impression that Mr. Trump was instructing the crowd: “We’re going to march on the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we’re going to fight. We’re going to fight like hell.”
Critics argue the edit is deceptive, omitting a key section in which Mr. Trump urges his supporters to demonstrate peacefully.
This controversy led to the resignation of two senior BBC executives.
Here’s how the saga unfolded.
Tuesday, November 4
Telegram A memo about impartiality by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, raised concerns about the documentary in the summer, it said Trump: Second Chance?
The clips were reportedly spliced together to make it appear that he told supporters he would march with them to the U.S. Capitol to “fight like hell.”
Telegram The story led to allegations that the company selectively edited speech and misled the public.
Karoline Leavitt, Mr. Trump’s press secretary, later said in the White House’s first comments on the debate: Telegram: “This deliberately dishonest, selectively edited clip by the BBC is further proof that this is completely, 100 per cent fake news and should no longer be worth the time of the UK’s great public on their television screens.”
Sunday, November 9
Tim Davie announced that he would resign as director general of the BBC after five years in office, saying “some mistakes have been made” and that he must “take ultimate responsibility”.
BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness also announced her resignation on Sunday night, saying in a statement that the controversy had “reached a stage that is damaging to the BBC, an institution I love”.
He continued: “As CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the responsibility remains with me and last night I took the decision to offer my resignation to the director general.
“In public life, leaders need to be fully accountable, and that’s why I’m resigning.”
He acknowledged that mistakes were made but rejected claims that the BBC was institutionally biased.
The resignations came after Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, wrote to BBC chief Samir Shah asking what action he would take regarding the controversy.
Mr Trump welcomed the BBC resignations and claimed on social media that they were trying to “ride the scales of the presidential election”, adding: “What a terrible thing for democracy!”
Monday, November 10
Mr Shah responded to Dame Caroline’s letter by saying the company “wants to apologize for this error of judgement”.
He said there have been more than 500 complaints since the publication of the memo, adding: “We accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action.”
Earlier in the day, Dame Caroline said Mr Davie had “ignored” concerns raised in Mr Prescott’s report.
He told BBC Radio 4 Today He was “very saddened” by Mr Davie’s resignation and described him as “an effective leader at the BBC” but said he “should have reacted with concern and looked into the allegations, but should have ignored it”.
When she arrived at Broadcasting House in central London on Monday, Ms Turness told reporters the company was “not institutionally biased” and the journalists were not “corrupt”.
Downing Street also rejected claims that the BBC was corrupt or institutionally biased; The prime minister’s official spokesman added that “it is important that the BBC takes action to maintain trust and correct errors quickly when they occur.”
Tuesday, November 11
Mr Trump sent an ultimatum to the BBC demanding it retract “false” and “defamatory” statements made about him. Panorama If you don’t release the documentary, you will face a billion-dollar legal action.
Mr Trump’s lawyers said in a letter to the company: “Failure to comply will leave President Trump with no choice but to pursue all available legal rights and remedies to recover compensation for the substantial financial and reputational damage caused to him by the BBC, and all rights and remedies are expressly reserved by President Trump.”
The White House may also consider restricting the company’s access to “open press events” as a result of the regulation, according to a senior official. Telegram.
On the same day, Mr Davie told staff the company must “defend our journalism” and insisted it would control its own narrative “not just given by our enemies”.
In a statement to BBC staff he said: “We must be very clear and defend our journalism.
“We are a unique and valuable organization, and I see the free press being oppressed, I see arming. I think we need to fight for our journalism.”
Wednesday, November 12
Mr Trump told Fox News the BBC was “defrauding the public” and added: “I feel like I have a duty to do that, you can’t let people do that.
“I guess I have to do this. They defrauded the public and they admitted it. This is taking place within one of our great allies, our supposedly great ally.”
“It’s a very sad thing. They actually changed my speech on January 6, it was a very nice speech, a very calming speech and it sounded like a radical speech.
“They showed me the results of how they butchered it. It was so dishonest and the chief resigned and a lot of other people resigned as well.”
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer said he believed the BBC was “strong and independent” but said the BBC must “maintain the highest standards”.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey claimed Mr Trump was “trying to destroy our BBC” and called on Sir Keir to “tell President Trump to drop his demand for a billion-dollar deal” and guarantee he “will not take a penny from British license fee payers”.
Sir Keir replied: “I believe in a strong and independent BBC. Some would prefer the BBC not to exist. Some would just sit there. I’m not one of them.”
“In an age of disinformation, the argument for impartiality for the British news service is stronger than ever; where mistakes have been made they need to put things right and the BBC needs to uphold the highest standards to be accountable and correct mistakes quickly.”
Thursday, November 13
The BBC formally apologized to Mr Trump for editing the speech reported in the newspaper. Panorama The documentary added that this was an “error of judgement” and that the program “will never be broadcast in this form on any BBC platform again”.
However, the company rejected the US president’s claims that he was slandered, as well as his demands for compensation.
Mr Shah sent a personal letter to the White House to apologize for the editing of the speech, but added: “Whilst the BBC sincerely regrets the way the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a claim of defamation.”
Friday, November 14
Mr Trump said he would sue the BBC next week after the BBC apologized but refused to pay compensation.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday: “We will probably be filing a claim next week for between $1bn (£759.8m) and $5bn (£3.79bn).”
Mr. Trump also said: Daily Telegraph She said Sir Keir was “very embarrassed” by the incident and said he would speak to him at the weekend.
“I guess I have to do this. They even admitted to cheating… They changed the words that came out of my mouth.”
“The British people are very angry about what happened.”
