BBC apologises over Trump edit but rejects defamation claim

The British Broadcasting Corporation sent a personal apology to US President Donald Trump on Thursday but said there was no legal basis for him to sue the public broadcaster over a documentary his lawyers called defamatory.

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Britain's Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla listen to BBC Director-General Tim Davie during their visit to the BBC World Service in London on April 28, 2022.

(AFP)

The documentary, which aired on the BBC's Panorama news programme just before the US presidential election in 2024, spliced together three parts of Mr Trump's speech on Jan 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol.

The edit created the impression he had called for violence.

“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,’ the broadcaster said in a statement.