BBC tries to avoid fine, apologises to Trump

On Thursday, the British broadcaster BBC apologised to Donald Trump for editing his speech to give the impression that he had called for violence. It did so in an attempt to ward off the threat of legal action from the US president, although it rejected the very basis of the lawsuit for alleged defamation.

In a statement, the BBC said its chairman, Samir Shah, had sent a personal letter to the White House telling Trump that he and the entire company "truly regret" the editing in question and that the broadcaster had no plans to re-air the Panorama documentary on any of its platforms.

The handling of Trump's 2021 speech sounded like it fueled an attack on Capitol Hill by his supporters. Meanwhile, two top BBC officials have resigned.

Donald Trump's legal team said on Thursday that the US president has not yet filed a lawsuit against the station.

(reuters, est)