On November 13, British Media Group (BBC) sent a personal apology letter to US President Donald Trump. However, the station also said there was no legal basis for Trump to sue them.
The case originated from a documentary, broadcast on BBC Panorama right before the 2024 US presidential election. The program "cut" three parts of Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol.
The editing has created a false impression that Trump has called for violence. The program has omitted Trumps part of saying he wants demonstrators to walk peacefully, leaving only the part where he calls for them to fight to the end.
On November 9, Trump's lawyers threatened to sue BBC for up to $1 billion in damages. The request was that the BBC withdraw the documentary, apologize to the President and compensate for the financial and reputational damages to his country.
In the latest statement, BBC affirmed: "Although BBC sincerely regrets how the video clip was edited, we completely disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim." By asserting the unfounded defamation lawsuit, BBC also implied that the $1 billion financial claim could not be enforced.
However, administratively, the BBC has "drunk". The station confirmed that BBC Chairman Samir Shah had sent a personal letter to the White House on November 13, stating that he and the corporation regretted editing.
Earlier this week, Shah also had to apologize to a UK Parliament oversight committee and admitted the editing was a "discusion." The BBC said it has no plans to re-air the documentary on any platform.
The scandal has plunged the BBC into one of its biggest crises in decades, after two top executives - CEO Tim Davie and news director Deborah Turness - were forced to resign last week over charges of injustice, including a "cut-off" of Trump's speech.
