British Media Frets Over Trump's Threat to Sue BBC: If the BBC Just Backs Down, It Doesn't Deserve to Survive'

"President Donald Trump's threat to sue the BBC has sent seismic waves of panic through the British media, with numerous commentators fretting that if the public broadcaster caves to the president's demands, it would effectively end its credibility, if not its existence altogether. The issue stems from a 2024 Panorama documentary that used an edited clip of Trump's speech on Jan. 6, 2021 that immediately preceded the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol, as his supporters stormed the building to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College votes for President Joe Biden."

"After The Telegraph ran a story about the edited clip, BBC Director General Tim Davie and News chief Deborah Turness resigned, and Trump lambasted the broadcaster on his Truth Social account, accusing them of being corrupt and airing doctored footage. The president followed up with a letter from his attorneys threatening to sue for a whopping $1 billion; BBC chairman Samir Shah had apologized for the error in judgement, adding [w]e are now considering how to reply to him."

A Panorama documentary used an edited clip of Donald Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 speech that combined separate sections into a single phrase implying immediate violent intent. The full speech transcript shows the "walk down to the Capitol" lines and the "we fight like hell" lines occurred at different points in the address. The Telegraph reported the editing; BBC Director General Tim Davie and News chief Deborah Turness resigned. Trump accused the broadcaster of airing doctored footage, called it corrupt, and his attorneys threatened a $1 billion lawsuit. BBC chairman Samir Shah apologized and said the broadcaster is considering how to reply, prompting widespread concern about BBC credibility.

Read at www.mediaite.com