BBC rejects defamation claims
The BBC Trump lawsuit will be defended by the broadcaster, which is facing a $5bn (£3.7bn) legal claim filed by US President Donald Trump in Florida over an edited clip of his 6 January 2021 speech shown in a Panorama documentary.
Court documents state that Trump has accused the BBC of defamation and of violating a trade practices law. While the broadcaster apologised last month, it rejected demands for compensation and said there was no basis for a defamation claim.
A BBC spokesperson said: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case.” The corporation added that it would not comment further on ongoing legal proceedings.
Dispute over edited speech
Trump’s legal team alleges the BBC “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively” edited his speech ahead of the US Capitol riot.
In the original address, Trump told supporters they would “walk down to the Capitol” and later said, more than 50 minutes on, “we fight like hell”. The Panorama programme edited the remarks together, creating the impression the statements were consecutive.
The BBC acknowledged the edit gave a “mistaken impression” that Trump had directly called for violent action, but maintains this does not amount to defamation — a position it is defending in the BBC Trump lawsuit.
Internal criticism and resignations
An internal BBC memo leaked in November criticised the editing of the speech. The controversy led to the resignations of Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness.
Before Trump filed the lawsuit, BBC lawyers responded to his claims, stating there was no malice and that Trump was not harmed by the programme, noting he was re-elected shortly after it aired.
Distribution and jurisdiction claims
The BBC also argued that it neither had the rights to, nor distributed, the documentary in the United States. While Panorama was available on BBC iPlayer, access was restricted to UK viewers.
Trump’s lawsuit cites licensing agreements with third-party distributors, including Blue Ant Media, alleging the programme could be shown in North America, including Florida. Blue Ant confirmed it held distribution rights but said none of its buyers aired the documentary in the US, adding that the version supplied internationally did not include the disputed edit.
Blue Ant is not named as a defendant.
The lawsuit further claims Florida residents may have accessed the documentary via VPNs or through the streaming service BritBox.
Political reaction
A Downing Street spokesperson said any legal action was a matter for the BBC, while reiterating support for a strong and independent public broadcaster.
Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston said the prime minister should warn that the lawsuit could negatively affect licence fee payers. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called the decision to sue the BBC “unacceptable”.
Wider legal context
The BBC lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions Trump has brought against media organisations. He has previously sued several US outlets, securing multi-million dollar settlements in some cases.
Chris Ruddy, CEO of conservative outlet Newsmax, said defamation cases are difficult to win in the US but suggested the BBC consider settlement to avoid litigation costs, estimated at up to $100m.
Former BBC Radio controller Mark Damazer said failing to fight the case would be “extremely damaging” to the corporation’s reputation, calling it a matter of editorial independence.
Source: BBC News
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