BBC Apologises to Trump Over Panorama Edit but Rejects Demand for Compensation

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has issued an apology to American President Donald Trump after admitting that an episode of news programme, Panorama purposely edited sections of his 6 January 2021 speech, creating what it called a mistaken impression that he had urged violent action.

The broadcaster has pulled the programme, first aired in 2024, from circulation but says it will not pay compensation, despite Trump’s lawyers demanding one billion dollars and threatening legal action.

In its published clarification, the BBC said the edit stitched together lines spoken more than 50 minutes apart in Trump’s address. The corporation insists the edit was not deliberate and that the clip formed only a small part of a much longer documentary that included a range of perspectives.

It also argues that the programme was only available in the United Kingdom and could not have harmed Trump politically, pointing out he was re-elected shortly afterward.

The controversy has already led to the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness. A second edited clip, broadcast on another BBC programme, Newsnight, in 2022, has since come to light and is now under review. Trump’s legal team says the new footage proves a pattern of misleading coverage, while the BBC says it is examining the matter but maintains it has a strong defence against any defamation claim.