LONDON: UK’s BBC apologized to Donald Trump on Thursday for editing a speech to make it appear he had advocated violence, trying to fend off the US president’s threat of legal action, but the broadcaster rejected the basis of a defamation claim.
In a statement BBC said its chairman Samir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House making it clear to Trump that he and the company were “sorry” for the editing, adding that the broadcaster has no plans to rebroadcast the Panorama documentary on any of its platforms.
“While BBC sincerely regret the way the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is any basis for a defamation claim,” BBC said.
The leak of internal allegations of bias on BBCincluding the way it edited a 2021 speech by Trump on the day his supporters overran the Capitol, has forced its two top executives to resign and for Trump to threaten a $1 billion lawsuit.
It sets BBC at the risk of having to use money paid by its viewers to compensate the US president for a mistake of his own making, handing more ammunition to critics at a time when increasing numbers are canceling their annual license fee.
That’s what Trump’s lawyers had said BBC to withdraw the Panorama program, apologize to the president and adequately compensate him for the damage caused, or face a lawsuit demanding damages of at least 1 billion.
