Donald Trump threatens to sue BBC for $1bn over documentary

BBC boss has apologised for impartiality failures over edits to Trump speech

US President Donald Trump and BBC chairman Samir Shah. AFP / PA

Donald Trump is set to sue the BBC for $1 billion for "overwhelming financial and reputational harm" from a Panorama documentary that distorted a 2021 speech ahead of the Capitol Hill riots.

The US President is threatening legal action against the publicly funded British broadcaster having condemned the BBC's "attempt to step on the scales of a presidential election".

BBC chairman Samir Shah apologised on Monday for editorial failures after its flagship Panorama programme last year broadcast a "doctored" version of his speech. The US is demanding a "full and fair retraction", an apology and compensation.

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His lawyers set a deadline of Friday for the BBC to respond: "President Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars) in damages. The BBC is on notice."

A leaked memo on failing BBC standards led to the resignation of two senior executives over the weekend. “We accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action,” Mr Shah wrote. The BBC's own committee had found the programme at fault, he added.

"The conclusion of that deliberation is that we accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action," he said. "The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgment."

Mr Shah added that the BBC had initially left it to the programme editors to handle the problem. “The points raised in the review were relayed to the Panorama team, including the decision-making on this edit. With hindsight, it would have been better to take more formal action.”

Asked if the US leader was planning to sue, Mr Shah acknowledged the possibility. "I do not know that yet, but he's a litigious fellow, so we should be prepared for all outcomes," he said.

Executives resign

BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness announced they would be stepping down after a week of pressure over perceived false reporting, leaving the corporation in crisis.

Mr Shah has said he regrets the departure of Ms Turness and Mr Davie. Mr Trump welcomed the resignations and described the editing of his speech as a "terrible thing for democracy".

A torrid week for the national broadcaster began with the publication of a dossier, leaked to The Telegraph newspaper, accusing the BBC of failures in its coverage of issues including Gaza and the Trump speech. The memo was written by former journalist Michael Prescott, who pinpointed the failings of the renowned Panorama news investigation programme.

In accusations of a basic failure of journalism, its editors were shown to have spliced Mr Trump’s speech from January 6, 2021. Viewers were misled by the appearance that Mr Trump told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to “fight like hell”.

Mr Shah disputed some of the reporting of Mr Prescott's account. "Mr Prescott’s memo is his personal account of the meetings at which he was present," the BBC chairman told culture committee chairwoman Caroline Dinenage. "It does not present a full picture of the discussions, decisions and actions that were taken. I would like to assure you and the committee that I am absolutely clear that the BBC must champion impartiality."

Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, has resigned over accusations of bias in coverage of US President Donald Trump. Getty Images

Starmer's dilemma

In the "age of disinformation, the argument for a robust and impartial British news service is stronger and more important than ever”, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's official spokesman said.

But the “most important thing is when mistakes are made they must be corrected quickly” and that “accountability is vital to maintain trust”. The BBC “must maintain the high standards for which it is rightly known internationally", he added.

As the UK's most globally respected news brand, the BBC's turmoil is deeply damaging and the fall-out can be expected to be felt for months. It forms part of a series of alleged bias allegations facing the broadcaster, including some over its coverage of the Gaza conflict.

Ms Turness said she stood by the journalistic standards of her team as she arrived at Broadcasting House in London on Monday. She said the BBC "is not institutionally biased", before adding: "That's why it's the world's most trusted news provider."

She said she resigned because “the buck stops with me" and added that it had been the privilege of her career to serve as news chief, working with "our brilliant team of journalists". Ms Turness emphasised that "our journalists are not corrupt and I will stand by their journalism".

Tim Davie has resigned as BBC director general. PA

The UK's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has been urged to lead the process of renewing the BBC constitution in the coming year and said the government would help it to transition into a new era that “secures its role at the heart of national life for decades to come”.

The corporation’s reputation has suffered from a series of failings in recent times, not least over its reporting of conflict in the Middle East. It was criticised after it pulled the documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which subsequently won awards.

Another documentary featuring the son of a Hamas official, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, was disavowed by BBC management. Allegations of bias by BBC Arabic against Israel and the live-streaming of the punk-rap duo Bob Vylan leading chants against the Israeli military at the Glastonbury music festival increased pressure on the organisation.

Kemi Badenoch, the UK's main opposition Conservative Party leader, called for “top-to-bottom” reform of the BBC, while the far-right Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “We cannot have the BBC being seen to be our main national news broadcaster if it cannot perform in a straightforward, simple, unbiased way.”

BBC headquarters in London. The corporation has been under pressure over a number of perceived failures to uphold journalistic standards. EPA

Media turmoil

The British newspaper The Times has also faced questions over its editorial standards in recent months. There was controversy after it published an apparent interview with former New York mayor Bill de Blasio about the policies of Zohran Mamdani, the city’s new mayor.

But it transpired the paper's senior journalist in the US had interviewed the wrong man, Bill DeBlasio, a Long Island wine importer. The story was withdrawn after the other Mr de Blasio complained.

The BBC's main terrestrial broadcasting rival ITV last week announced preliminary discussions with Sky for a buyout of its TV business, including the ITN news operation. Since 2018, Sky has been owned by Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal. That tie-up is also likely to face regulatory scrutiny because the combination would take up more than two thirds of television advertising.