The BBC has issued an apology after admitting that an edited version of a speech by former U.S. President Donald Trump gave the false impression that he made “a direct call for violent action” ahead of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The broadcaster called the incident “an error of judgment.”
The controversy has triggered the resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness, and reignited debate over the broadcaster’s impartiality.
In a letter to British lawmakers on Monday, BBC Chairman Samir Shah acknowledged that the edit in a flagship documentary “did give the impression of a direct call for violent action.”
“The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgment,” Shah wrote, pledging reforms to strengthen editorial oversight.
The backlash followed reports by The Daily Telegraph that internal concerns about the documentary’s impartiality had been raised by a former standards adviser. The edited segment appeared to show Trump urging his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol and “fight like hell,” omitting a portion in which he said they should “cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”
Trump celebrated the resignations, accusing the BBC of being “corrupt” and “dishonest,” while his spokesperson called the network “100 per cent fake news.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, however, defended the broadcaster’s role, saying, “The BBC has a vital role in an age of disinformation,” though he stressed the need for swift correction of errors.
The controversy comes as the government prepares to review the BBC’s charter, which governs its funding and operations. The broadcaster, financed through a licence fee paid by UK television viewers, has faced financial strain and job cuts in recent years.
Reactions to the crisis were mixed. Former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously threatened to stop paying the licence fee, while current Tory leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the resignations, citing “serious failures.” Conversely, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged Starmer to tell Trump to “keep his hands off the BBC,” calling it “the world’s number one news source.”
Former BBC journalist Karen Fowler-Watt described the situation as a “crisis,” saying it was “hard not to see this as a right-wing attack.”
Public opinion on the streets of London reflected the divide. “The BBC’s reputation has been tarnished,” said Jimmy, a construction worker. But writer Jennifer Kavanagh, 78, countered, “It’s always been attacked from both the right and the left. They can never get it right.”
Earlier this year, the BBC apologised for “serious flaws” in another documentary about Gaza, which UK media regulators found to be “materially misleading,” further adding to scrutiny of the corporation’s editorial standards.
