BBC apologizes as chiefs quit over editing of Trump speech

LONDON — The BBC apologized for a misleading edit of remarks by President Donald Trump that featured in a documentary last year, the latest scandal to raise questions about the future of Britain’s national broadcaster.

British Broadcasting Corp. Chairman Samir Shah acknowledged on Monday that the edited footage of Trump’s speech near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, aired on the Panorama program wrongly gave “the impression of a direct call for violent action.” Shah told the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee in a letter that “the BBC would like to apologize for that error of judgment.”

The apology came after the BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, and its news chief, Deborah Turness, stepped down over the matter. The twin resignations prompted new calls from right-leaning politicians to overhaul the BBC, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman rejected accusations of institutional bias by the news organization.

The documentary made Trump appear to say that his supporters should “walk down to the Capitol” and “fight like hell” before the riot outside the U.S. legislative building that day. In fact, he said they should “cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” The “fight like hell” remark was from a different part of the speech.

The BBC said separately on Monday that it had received a letter from Trump threatening legal action over the report. The BBC said that it would respond “in due course.”

Trump took to his Truth Social platform to denounce the BBC as “corrupt” and the departed executives as “dishonest people” and accuse them of trying to influence a U.S. presidential election. “They were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech,” he said on Sunday. “What a terrible thing for Democracy!”

A Starmer spokesman said on Monday that the BBC wasn’t “corrupt,” However, Downing Street also said it was important that the BBC dealt with mistakes swiftly.

The debacle puts Starmer in a difficult position. Many members of his left-leaning Labour party expect the PM to defend the BBC against attacks from the right, yet Starmer has been careful to nurture a positive relationship with the White House in a bid to secure favorable terms on trade and continued U.S. support against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The fallout has echoes of Trump’s clashes with media channels in the U.S. The president settled a lawsuit against CBS News in July shortly before the Federal Communications Commission approved a merger between CBS parent Paramount Global and Skydance Media. Trump also reached a $15 million settlement with ABC over allegations of defamation.

Trump spoke to Nigel Farage on Friday night, according to the leader of the Reform U.K. party which leads national polls in Britain. “To say he was angry would be an understatement,” Farage told LBC radio on Monday morning. He repeated Reform’s claim that swathes of the British public will stop paying the compulsory license fee that funds the BBC.

The controversy erupted into the open last week after Michael Prescott, a former independent adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, accused it of “systemic bias” in coverage of Trump and a memo drawing attention to the Panorama editing was leaked to the Daily Telegraph. Turness was one of the editors Prescott singled out for criticism.

The resignations cap a turbulent year in which the BBC was criticized for airing a documentary on Gaza that failed to disclose the protagonist’s links to Hamas, and its highest-paid presenter - former footballer Gary Lineker - stepped down over social-media posts that broke its neutrality guidelines. Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch at the weekend joined those calling for an overhaul at the BBC, saying the two resignations weren’t enough. “This has been a catalogue of serious failures that runs far deeper,” she wrote on X.

The BBC’s editorial positions have become controversial in the U.K., with frequent attacks particularly from right-of-center politicians and commentators. Still, former Labour leader Gordon Brown said Monday that he did not think there was any institutional bias at the news organization, although it should have apologized for the Panorama edit a year ago.

All this comes ahead of critical funding talks with the government. Households are currently charged an annual license fee but the model has been undermined by streaming. New arrangements are being considered to be in place from 2028 under a revised “royal charter.”

Farage said Monday that it “cannot survive” in its current form.

Following the Panorama revelations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt last week described the BBC as “100% fake news” and a “leftist propaganda machine” that was “purposefully dishonest.”

Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Davie should “come clean” or resign. On Sunday, Leavitt appeared to celebrate Davie’s departure on social media with a link to her earlier comments and the BBC announcement.

In a note to BBC staff on Sunday afternoon, Davie said his decision to leave was in part driven by the Panorama controversy. “While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision,” he said.

He has been at the BBC for 20 years and was appointed director-general in 2020, when Johnson was prime minister. Davie said his decision to leave “allows a new director-general to help shape the next charter.”

“That is why I want to create the best conditions and space for a new DG to come in,” he said. “I hope that as we move forward, a sensible, calm and rational public conversation can take place about the next chapter of the BBC.”

The exact timing of his departure hasn’t been set. Davie cited “these increasingly polarized times,” in his statement and added: “I hope that as we move forward, a sensible, calm and rational public conversation can take place about the next chapter of the BBC.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy thanked Davie for “his service to public service broadcasting” and stressed that the BBC is “one of our most important national institutions.”

Speaking at the weekend to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Nandy said the BBC’s editorial guidelines on issues including Israel, Gaza and transgender rights don’t “always meet the highest standards, it’s not always well thought through.” She was also critical of channels such as GB News allowing politicians to present the news.

Shah said about the resignations that it was “a sad day for the BBC.” He praised Davie as an “outstanding director-general for the last five years,” adding he’ll continue to work with Davie during the transition to a successor.

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—With assistance from María Paula Mijares Torres and James Woolcock.