BBC chairman Samir Shah has reassured staff that U.S. President Donald Trump has no legal basis for a defamation claim over the editing of his speech on the Panorama programme. “We are determined to fight this,” Shah said, emphasizing the broadcaster’s commitment to defending its integrity.
The dispute stems from the BBC’s edit of Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech, which the broadcaster acknowledged mistakenly gave the impression that the president directly called for violent action. While the BBC issued an apology, describing the edit as an “error of judgment,” it has refused to pay the $1 billion in damages that Trump’s legal team demanded unless a retraction and formal apology were issued.
In an internal note to staff, Shah addressed concerns about potential legal action and costs, highlighting the BBC’s duty to protect its licence fee payers. “Our position has not changed. There is no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this,” he wrote. Shah also confirmed that the executive team is focused on ensuring the BBC continues to deliver for both audiences and staff, and will engage directly with teams in the coming weeks to reinforce this.
Trump, speaking on GB News, defended his intention to pursue the case in the U.S., describing the BBC’s actions as “so egregious” that legal action was necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Panorama controversy led to the resignations of two senior BBC executives: director-general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness. The corporation has stated it will no longer air the episode “Trump: A Second Chance?” and has published a retraction online.
The BBC also issued an apology for incorrectly referring to Catherine, Princess of Wales, as “Kate Middleton” during live Armistice Day coverage. A statement clarified that, despite the error, the Princess was correctly identified throughout the broader coverage.
