...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...on Thursday for editing a speech to make it look like he had advocated violence, seeking to ward off the US president's threat of legal action, but the broadcaster rejected the basis for a defamation claim.
In a statement, the BBC said its chair Samir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to Trump that he and the corporation were "sorry" for the edit, adding that the broadcaster has no plans to rebroadcast the Panorama documentary on any of its platforms.
"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 BBC said.
The leaking of internal accusations of bias at the BBC, including in the way it edited a 2021 speech by Trump on the day his supporters overran the Capitol, has forced its top two leaders to quit and for Trump to threaten a $1 billion lawsuit.
That puts the BBC at risk of having to use money paid by its viewers to compensate the US president for an error of its own making, handing more ammunition to critics at a time when growing numbers are cancelling their annual licence fee payment.
| That’s nice. But it turns out there’s more, according to the Telegraph, via Yahoo: |
BBC Newsnight also doctored footage of a Donald Trump speech and ignored concerns that were raised about it, The Telegraph can reveal.
Spliced footage of the speech, which aired in an episode in 2022, made it appear that Mr Trump was encouraging his supporters to riot.
The edit was similar to a version aired in a Panorama documentary that was broadcast last year.
After The Telegraph exposed the doctored Panorama footage and other concerns about bias at the corporation, Tim Davie, the director-general, and Deborah Turness, the chief executive of BBC News, both resigned.
Mr Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for as much as $1bn (£760m) over the Panorama edit unless it apologises, retracts the footage and offers compensation by Friday.
In response to the latest revelations, a spokesman for his legal team said it was “now clear that BBC engaged in a pattern of defamation against President Trump”.
| This second act goes directly to a point made by Townhall: |
Related:
BBC Newsnight 02/12/2023 How the West is whitewashing Ukrainian Nazism
BBC Newsnight 04/01/2022 The story of an elite Russian unit's war in Ukraine - BBC Newsnight (Video)
BBC Newsnight 07/09/2018 BBC Helps ‘Black Studies' Prof Claim the West is ‘Built on Racism' and Call for Black ‘Revolution' Unchallenged
BBC Newsnight 02/12/2023 How the West is whitewashing Ukrainian Nazism
BBC Newsnight 04/01/2022 The story of an elite Russian unit's war in Ukraine - BBC Newsnight (Video)
BBC Newsnight 07/09/2018 BBC Helps ‘Black Studies' Prof Claim the West is ‘Built on Racism' and Call for Black ‘Revolution' Unchallenged