The BBC is facing the threat of a lawsuit from Donald Trump. The controversial editing of his speech caused an uproar and subsequently an apology with an emphasis on ending misunderstandings.
BBC Chairman Samir Shah vowed on Monday to fight a defamation lawsuit brought against the British public broadcaster by US President Donald Trump over the manipulative editing of his speech. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- Donald Trump plans to sue the BBC for defamation.
- The BBC edited Trump’s speech in the Panorama documentary.
- The BBC apologized for the impression created in the documentary.
“I want to be clear – our position has not changed. There is no basis for a defamation suit and we are determined to fight it,” Shah said in a message to BBC staff.
Trump’s stance on the lawsuit
Trump said on Friday he would sue the BBC for up to five billion dollars after the company apologized for editing his speech aired in the Panorama documentary last year. However, she refused to pay any compensation.
The White House chief’s lawyers had previously sent a letter to the BBC accusing it of defaming the president and demanding an apology and compensation.
The BBC’s reaction to Trump’s criticism
The BBC subsequently apologized for the fact that its documentary gave the impression that Trump directly called for violent acts shortly before the attack by his followers on the US Congress on January 6, 2021. The BBC director-general Tim Davie and the head of news Deborah Turness have already resigned over the case.
The station said Thursday that Shah had sent a personal letter to the White House, making clear to Trump his regret over the way the BBC edited the video, but also his strong disagreement that there would be grounds for a defamation suit.
