US President Donald Trump has initiated a multi-billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against the BBC over an edited segment of his January 6, 2021, speech featured in a Panorama documentary.
Trump alleges that the broadcaster maliciously and deceptively altered his speech, thereby misrepresenting his words and intentions. Court documents filed in Florida state that he seeks $5 billion (£3.7 billion) in damages for each of his claims.
While the BBC has apologised to Trump, it rejected his demand for compensation and dismissed any basis for a defamation claim. The broadcaster argued that the edit did not defame him, though it acknowledged that the modification might have given a misleading impression that Trump called for violent action.
Trump’s legal team contended that the BBC intentionally doctored his speech to defame him. The dispute arose after he announced plans to sue the BBC, asserting that the edited footage constituted cheating and an alteration of his words, which he said occurred in the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election.
In his January 6, 2021, speech, Trump told supporters he would walk to the Capitol and cheer on elected officials, later urging, “We fight like hell.” The Panorama clip, however, was edited to imply that he called for violence, a claim the BBC admitted could have created a false impression.
An internal BBC memo criticised the editing, leading to the resignation of director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness. Before filing the lawsuit, the BBC’s lawyers responded by denying malice and asserting that the program did not harm Trump, as he was re-elected after the broadcast.
They also stated that the BBC lacked the right to distribute the program outside the UK; it was only available via UK channels and BBC iPlayer. Trump’s suit claims that viewers outside the UK, especially in Florida, accessed the documentary through VPNs or streaming services like BritBox, asserting that the exposure was significant enough to influence perceptions.
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The lawsuit underscores the ongoing conflict over media editing, free speech, and the dissemination of political content. The BBC has yet to respond to the specific distribution claims.
