BBC Chairman Samir Shah on Monday issued an apology for what he called an “error of judgment” in the editing of US President Donald Trump’s speech in a Panorama documentary. His remarks came after the resignations of the BBC’s Director-General and Head of News.
Shah admitted that the edit of Trump’s speech created a misleading impression and should have been managed with greater care. He added that although the matter had been reviewed internally earlier this year, the broadcaster should have taken formal action at that time.
“It is absolutely clear the BBC must champion impartiality,” Shah wrote to British lawmakers, adding that the broadcaster is committed to restoring public trust and ensuring its journalism meets the highest standards of fairness.
On the Trump edit he said after further deliberation, the BBC accepted that the way the speech was edited did “give the impression of a direct call for violent action”.
“The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgment,” he said in the letter.
The Panorama programme, broadcast a week before the U.S. presidential election, spliced together two separate excerpts from one of Trump’s speeches, creating the impression that he was inciting the January 2021 Capitol Hill riot.
The error was included in an internal report by a former standards adviser, which also cited BBC failings in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, transgender issues and other subjects.
Mounting criticism of bias at the broadcaster led to the resignation of its Director General Tim Davie and Chief executive of News Deborah Turness on Sunday.
While Shah accepted the criticism of the Trump edit, he hit back at suggestions the BBC had sought to “bury” any of the allegations, or failed to tackle any problems.
It had published corrections when it got things wrong, changed editorial guidance, made leadership changes and taken disciplinary action, he said.
With inputs from Reuters
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
