The BBC has apologised to Donald Trump over the editing of a speech in a Panorama programme in 2024.
The corporation said it was an “error of judgement” and the programme will “not be broadcast again in this form on any BBC platforms”.
But it added that it “strongly” disagrees that there is “a basis for a defamation claim”.
The White House has not offered comment, but instead told Sky News to direct questions to “the president’s outside counsel on this matter”.
Sky News is awaiting a response from the president’s counsel.
A view of the entrance to BBC Broadcasting House in London. Pic: PA
Mr Trump’s legal team earlier revealed that the US president has not yet filed a lawsuit against the BBC over the
broadcaster’s editing of a speech he made in 2021 on the day his supporters overran the Capitol building.
Legal experts have said that Mr Trump would face challenges taking the case to court in the UK or the US.
Deadlines to bring the case in English courts, where defamation damages rarely exceed £100,000 ($132,000) expired more than a year ago.
Because the documentary was not shown in the US, it would be hard to show that Americans thought less of him because of a program they could not watch.
Despite this, Mr Trump’s legal team sent a letter over the weekend threatening to sue the BBC for $1bn and issuing three demands:
• Issue a “full and fair retraction” of the Panorama programme
• Apologise immediately
• “Appropriately compensate” the US president
On Sunday evening, two of the BBC’s top figures, including the director-general, resigned amid the row over the edit and concerns about impartiality.
Analysis: An apology was the right thing, few within journalism would defend the edit
With the deadline fast approaching for Donald Trump’s billion-dollar legal threat, all eyes were on the BBC to see how it would respond. The corporation’s failure to act swiftly and decisively in the face of negative headlines is arguably what brought it to this point of crisis in the first place.
An apology to Mr Trump was the right thing to do. Few within journalism would defend the edit Panorama aired.
But it was equally important for the corporation to use this moment to stand by its journalists — and it has done so.
Many legal experts have agreed with what the BBC implies in its statement, that it’s questionable that Trump has any grounds for a defamation claim.
Will a personal letter from the BBC chair be enough to silence a president who’s successfully taken on other media outlets he feels wronged by?
For an organisation long paralysed by fear and internal division, this is a pivotal moment. The BBC must be seen to act — and to act decisively — or risk losing the reputation it has spent decades building.
Fresh allegations reported by The Telegraph tonight only deepen the sense of turmoil, suggesting that the corporation’s editorial oversight has faltered at a time when clarity and leadership are most needed.
In a statement, the corporation said: “Lawyers for the BBC have written to President Trump’s legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday.
“BBC Chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the Corporation are sorry for the edit of the President’s speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme.
“The BBC has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary ‘Trump: A Second Chance?’ on any BBC platforms.
“While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”
On Thursday, the BBC said it was looking into fresh allegations, published in The Telegraph.
The Telegraph claims another BBC programme, Newsnight, also selectively edited footage of the same speech, in a report broadcast in June 2022, two years before Panorama’s edit.
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC holds itself to the highest editorial standards. This matter has been brought to our attention and we are now looking into it.”
