The BBC has apologized to Donald Trump for misediting his January 6, 2021 speech in a 2024 Panorama episode, which gave the false impression he encouraged the Capitol riot.
According to DAILY STAR, the BBC has issued an apology to former US President Donald Trump over the way his January 6, 2021 speech was edited in a 2024 Panorama episode, calling it an “error of judgement.”
The editing spliced together clips from Trump’s speech, making it appear he directly encouraged the US Capitol attack. The broadcast included the line: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell,” though some dialogue was taken from parts of the speech nearly an hour apart.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed the episode will “not be broadcast again in this form on any BBC platforms.” BBC Chair Samir Shah personally wrote to the White House, stating, “he and the Corporation are sorry for the edit of the President’s speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme.”
The spokesperson added, “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”
The controversy emerged after the Panorama episode aired last year, reigniting scrutiny over media coverage of the Capitol riots, during which hundreds stormed Congress to contest the 2020 presidential election results. Former President Joe Biden described the rioters as having “held a dagger at the throat of America and American democracy.”