BBC watchdog chief apologises for mistake in editing Trump's speech

BBC chairman Samir Shah has apologised for an "error of judgement" in editing US President Donald Trump's speech in the Panorama documentary. The incident resulted in the resignation of BBC director Tim Davie and news director Deborah Turness.

After viewing the filmed footage, the BBC admits they should have communicated more clearly what edits they had made to the original speech. In a letter to British lawmakers, Shah stressed that the BBC must always uphold impartiality and is committed to doing everything it can to restore public trust.

The scandal involved a montage of Trump's January 6, 2021 speech, which the documentary gave the impression that Trump was calling for violent protests, which was not true, according to an internal leak. In fact, portions of the speech were cut and pasted together to create a misleading impression.

(reuters, sie)