(Crankers) Well, here we go again. Another day, another media controversy and this time it’s the BBC in the hot seat. Yes, that BBC. The one known for being the calm, buttoned-up, ultra-proper international news giant. And guess who they’re apologizing to?
Donald J. Trump.
If that sentence alone didn’t make your eyebrows jump, just wait till you hear what they admitted to.
The BBC put out a documentary as part of their long-running “Panorama” series that included clips from Trump’s January 6th, 2021 speech. Nothing shocking about that; everyone and their grandmother has replayed those moments a hundred times. But according to a newly released apology, the BBC edited the footage in a way that, in their words, “gave the wrong impression.”
They allegedly spliced together parts of Trump’s speech in a way that made it look like he delivered a continuous call to violent action. Which, no matter what your politics are, is a big journalistic no-no.
The BBC’s own chair, Samir Shah, sent a letter directly to the White House, directly to Trump’s team, apologizing for what he called an “error of judgement.” That’s the very polite British way of saying “we messed up, our bad, please don’t sue us into the Stone Age.”
And speaking of lawsuits, you better believe there’s one (or several) brewing. Trump’s team immediately jumped on the opening, threatening major legal action and demanding compensation. The BBC responded by apologizing, but made it very clear they aren’t paying a dime. They said there’s “no basis” for a defamation claim, even though they admit the edit shouldn’t have aired.
If that sounds like the classic “sorry, but we’re not that sorry” kinda thing.
This whole thing has blown up in media circles because the BBC is supposed to be one of the last remaining “gold standard” journalism outlets. When they slip, it hits differently. This wasn’t some random blogger editing a viral clip, this was the BBC’s flagship investigative program.
And the fallout? Huge. The documentary won’t air again in its original form. Senior members inside the BBC resigned or stepped back. And the apology has turned into an international story, especially as Trump and his supporters use it as fuel in their ongoing argument that mainstream media can’t be trusted.
Meanwhile, critics say the whole thing is a perfect example of why trust in big media has cratered. The moment you’re editing political footage, especially something as explosive as January 6th, you’d better be surgeon-level precise. Not sloppy. Not careless. And definitely not cutting together snippets that change the meaning.
So where does it go from here? Lawsuits are still on the table. Trump’s camp wants accountability. The BBC wants the story to go away. And political junkies are sitting back with popcorn watching yet another clash between Trump and the media.
Oh, and what’s the catch? The BBC wants the whole defamation thing to go away.
Here’s the video of the BBC apology to Trump: