BBC set to apologise over edited Trump speech – as minister says decisions ‘not always well thought through’
The BBC is preparing to apologize for editing a speech by US President Donald Trump. Panorama As one government minister said, decisions at the broadcaster are “not always well thought out”.
Company accused of misleading viewers Panorama The episode selectively edited a speech Trump gave ahead of the Capitol riots in 2021, according to a leaked memo.
The added footage showed Trump urging his supporters to “fight like hell” before the riots, but omitted a part where he told the crowd to “make your voices heard peacefully and patriotically.”
BBC chief Samir Shah is expected to apologize for the editing choice on Monday, following a request from parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which said there were “serious questions that need to be answered”.
A BBC spokesman said: “The BBC chief executive will make a full response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Monday.”
The leaked part of the note read: “Editing the clip in this way was completely misleading. Panorama published. His failure to publicly encourage his supporters to go to Capitol Hill and fight was one of the reasons why federal charges of incitement of insurrection were not found.
Asked about the debate on Sunday, culture secretary Lisa Nandy said decisions about editorial standards at the broadcaster were “not always well thought out” and said it had “taken a lot more”. [conversations] More than I would have liked with senior leadership since the Labor government was elected.
The note leaked for the first time Telegram It is said to have been written by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards committee. Mr Prescott, who left office earlier this year, has not commented publicly on the leak.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the culture committee, wrote in a letter to the BBC demanding a response: “The Corporation needs to set benchmarks for accurate and fair reporting, especially in a media environment where it is all too easy to find news presented in an unbiased manner.
“The committee needs to be reassured that the BBC’s senior executives are treating these matters with the seriousness they deserve and are taking decisive action to protect the corporation’s reputation for integrity and public trust.”
A BBC spokesperson previously said of the leak: “Whilst we do not comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully.
“Michael Prescott is former counsel to a board committee on which differing views and opinions regarding our publications are routinely discussed.”
On Saturday, Karoline Leavitt issued the Trump administration’s first response to the controversy, accusing the company of being “100 percent fake news” and a “leftist propaganda machine.”
Asked about the controversy, Ms Nandy told the BBC: Sunday with Laura Kuensssberg: “Over the past 15 months since we were elected, I have had countless conversations with senior leaders…more than I can count and more than I would like.”
“Editorial standards, editorial guidelines and decisions about the language used in reporting are completely inconsistent. It does not always meet the highest standards. It is not always well thought out and the decision-making is often left to individual journalists or news readers.”
He also said the broadcaster “does not operate in a news media environment where news and facts are blurred by polemics and opinions, and I think that creates a very, very dangerous environment in this country where people can’t trust what they see.”
Ms Nandy added: “I was very disappointed that Ofcom recently decided not to pursue a bid to take action against politicians who reported the news. As culture secretary I am looking at what we can do as a government to deal with this.”
A row has broken out between Boris Johnson and BBC presenter Nick Robinson after the former prime minister accused the broadcaster of being “arrogant”.
Robinson responded in a post on
More than 2,000 people stormed the Capitol during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, to formalize President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
Independent The BBC has been contacted for comment.
