BBC confirms it will defend a multi-billion-pound defamation lawsuit filed by Donald Trump
The BBC has said it will defend a defamation lawsuit worth 5 billion dollars, equivalent to £3.7 billion, filed by US President Donald Trump over the editing of his 6 January 2021 speech in a Panorama documentary. The broadcaster confirmed its position following the filing of court documents in Florida.
Trump alleges that the BBC defamed him and breached a trade practices law by editing footage of his speech delivered shortly before the riot at the US Capitol. According to the lawsuit, Trump’s legal team claims the broadcaster “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively” altered the speech in a way that misrepresented his words.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case.” The broadcaster added that it would not comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.
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The BBC had apologised to Trump last month after acknowledging that the edit created what it described as a “mistaken impression” that he had made a direct call for violent action. However, the corporation rejected his demand for compensation and stated it did not believe there was a basis for a defamation claim.
The Panorama programme, which aired in the UK ahead of the 2024 US election, included a clip combining two separate parts of Trump’s speech. In the original address, Trump told supporters they would “walk down to the Capitol” and, later, urged them to “fight like hell”. In the documentary, the remarks appeared consecutively, creating the impression they were spoken together.
An internal BBC memo leaked in November criticised how the edit had been handled. The fallout led to the resignations of the BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, and head of news, Deborah Turness.
Before the lawsuit was filed, BBC lawyers argued there was no malice involved in the edit and that Trump had not suffered harm, noting he was re-elected shortly after the programme aired. They also said the BBC did not distribute the documentary in the United States and that BBC iPlayer access was restricted to UK viewers.
Trump’s lawsuit alleges the programme was accessible in Florida through licensing arrangements with Blue Ant Media and via virtual private networks or the streaming service BritBox. Blue Ant confirmed it held distribution rights but said the version it supplied internationally did not contain the disputed edit and was not broadcast in the United States.
Downing Street said the case was a matter for the BBC. Opposition figures, including Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, urged the prime minister to challenge Trump over the lawsuit.
The BBC confirmed it will contest the claim.
Source: BBC