Tim Davie resigned on Sunday after the US president threatened to sue the British audiovisual group for defamation over a misleading edition of a speech by the US president
The resigning director of , , urged the broadcaster, this Tuesday (11), to “fight” to defend its journalism, after he threatened to sue the British audiovisual group for defamation for a misleading edition of a speech by the American president. “I believe we need to fight for our journalism,” said Davie, who resigned on Sunday after the controversy came to light, when speaking via video conference with the team at the public audiovisual group. The American president threatened to sue the BBC for one billion dollars (the equivalent of 5.31 billion reais) after the misleading editing of his speech.
Trump’s lawyers gave until Friday night (22:00 GMT, 19:00 Brasília) for the group to withdraw the documentary that includes the edit and retract. In his speech this Tuesday, the former director-general acknowledged that the broadcaster had made “a mistake”, with a “non-compliance” with BBC editorial standards, for which he assumed his “part of responsibility” by resigning.
Tim Davie and the director general of BBC News, Deborah Turness, resigned on Sunday, after the group was questioned over the editing of a speech by the American president on January 6, 2021, the day of the attack on the Capitol in Washington.
“Corrupt journalists”
In an edit of the speech, Trump appeared to urge his supporters to march toward Congress to “fight like demons.” However, in the original sentence, Trump said: “We will walk to the Capitol and we will encourage our brave senators and representatives in Congress.” The expression “fight like demons” corresponded to another part of the speech. The change, revealed by the conservative newspaper The Daily Telegraph, was included in a documentary shown in October 2024, a week before the American presidential elections.
After the announcement of the resignation of the two top executives, Trump stated that “corrupt journalists” had been unmasked. “They are very dishonest people who tried to manipulate the presidential elections. To make matters worse, they come from a foreign country, which many consider our main ally. How terrible for democracy!”, declared the president on his platform, Truth Social.
In addition to the BBC, the British public broadcaster, the controversy causes embarrassment for Keir Starmer’s Labor government, which regularly boasts of having established good relations with the Trump administration.
Minister of Culture defends BBC
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy paid tribute to the BBC this Tuesday, avoiding mentioning Trump’s threats. Although he admitted the existence of “serious problems” in the functioning of the BBC, he appealed to avoid “continuous attacks” against an institution, which has been “at the heart of our democratic and cultural life [há] more than a century.”
A spokesperson for the British Prime Minister declined to comment on Tuesday about possible legal action by Trump. “It is up to the BBC to respond to editorial questions, and we maintain a close relationship with the United States around our common priorities,” said the spokesperson.
The controversy arises at a time when the British audiovisual group needs to renegotiate its ten-year mission contract with the government before the end of 2027. The review of the contract will begin “before the year ends”, informed the Minister of Culture in Parliament.
“We will ensure that the BBC has sustainable funding”, which allows it to continue to be “fiercely independent”, promised the minister. Some members of the conservative right accuse the station’s informative programs of being biased on topics such as the war in Gaza, the rights of transgender people and Donald Trump.
*With information from AFP
