BBC expected to apologize after editing Trump's speech in documentary
What's the story
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is expected to issue a formal apology for editing United States President Donald Trump's speech from January 6, 2021, The Telegraph reported. The edited version aired in a documentary called Trump: A Second Chance?, which was broadcast by BBC Panorama just before the 2024 election. The expected apology comes as Michael Prescott, former external adviser to the BBC's editorial standards committee, released a damning 19-page report alleging rampant bias within the corporation.
Official response
Shah will admit the edit was wrong
The whistleblower said that the BBC "mangled" the video in its documentary to make it appear as if the president encouraged crowds to storm the Capitol. The clip was stitched together from three different segments of Trump's speech, with a nearly hour-long gap removed to make it appear like one fluent statement. BBC Chairman Samir Shah will write a letter to the UK Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Monday.
Editorial scrutiny
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy slams BBC
In the letter, Shah will admit that the Panorama documentary "should not have edited Trump's speech in the way it did." UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has also slammed the BBC for its editorial decisions. Speaking on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she called the edit "incredibly serious" and said it showed "inconsistent editorial standards." Nandy said she has had multiple conversations with senior BBC figures about these standards over the past year.
Leadership shakeup
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Deborah Turness resign
The controversy has also led to the resignation of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness. Announcing the move, Davie said, "Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made, and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility." Turness said, "In public life leaders need to be fully accountable, and that is why I am stepping down. While mistakes have been made....recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong."
Ongoing controversies
BBC's editorial choices under scrutiny
The BBC has been in the spotlight for its editorial choices in recent months. Earlier this year, it apologized for "serious flaws" in another documentary, "Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone." In October, it accepted a sanction from the UK media watchdog Ofcom for airing a "materially misleading" program involving Hamas's former deputy agriculture minister's son as a child narrator.