British broadcaster BBC has announced that it will defend its position if US President Donald Trump files a multibillion-dollar compensation claim.
After Donald Trump announced his intention to sue the BBC over a documentary released last year in which he said his speech was “edited”, the corporation’s chairman, Samir Shah, sent a letter to employees. In it, he explained the BBC’s position.
Shah noted that there were a lot of reports and rumors circulating around the “possible lawsuit, its cost and potential settlement options.” “We are aware that we are an institution financed by public funds. We are obliged to protect the interests of citizens who pay the license fee,” he emphasized.
The head of the Board of Directors added that the company’s position remains unchanged. “I want to be clear that our position has not changed. There is no basis for filing a libel suit, and we intend to vigorously oppose this,” he said.
In the Panorama documentary “Trump: A Second Chance?”, released on October 28, 2024, a week before the US presidential election, two different speeches by Donald Trump were edited. Both were delivered before the events at the Capitol in 2021.
The BBC edited the segments as if they were one speech, making it appear as if Trump was telling his supporters to “go to Congress and fight.” However, his statements calling for “protest peacefully” were removed from the combined fragment.
The story became public after a detailed 19-page report on the mistake was submitted to the BBC Board of Directors. After the fact of editing was revealed, BBC CEO Tim Davey and the head of the news division, Deborah Turness, resigned.
American media reported that Trump’s lawyers were preparing a lawsuit against the BBC in the amount of $1 billion.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that in case of mistakes, each organization must restore order within itself. He stressed that the BBC must uphold the highest standards of accountability and promptly correct mistakes.
The BBC previously apologized for the editing of the speech in the documentary, but said it did not intend to comply with Trump’s demand for compensation.