US President Donald Trump has sued the BBC for defamation over edited clips of a speech that made it appear he directed supporters to storm the US Capitol.
Mr Trump accused the BBC of defaming him by splicing together parts of a January 6, 2021 speech, including one section where he told supporters to march on the Capitol and another where he said “fight like hell”.
It omitted a section in which he called for peaceful protest.
Mr Trump’s lawsuit alleges the BBC defamed him and violated a Florida law that bars deceptive and unfair trade practices.
He is seeking $US10 billion ($15.1 billion) in damages.
The BBC has apologised to the president for the Panorama documentary, admitting the edit gave the mistaken impression that he had made a direct call for violent action.
But it says there is no legal basis for a defamation claim.
In his lawsuit filed in Miami federal court, Mr Trump said that despite its apology, the BBC “has made no showing of actual remorse for its wrongdoing nor meaningful institutional changes to prevent future journalistic abuses”.
Crisis led to resignations
Facing one of the biggest crises in its 103-year history, the BBC has said it has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary on any of its platforms.
The dispute over the clip, featured on the BBC’s Panorama documentary just days before the 2024 presidential election, led to the resignation of its two most senior officials.
BBC director-general Tim Davie and the organisation’s top news executive, Deborah Turness, resigned.
Tim Davie said at the time, the controversy was a factor in his resignation. (Reuters: Hannah McKay)
Mr Trump’s lawyers said the BBC caused him overwhelming reputational and financial harm.
The documentary drew scrutiny after the leak of a BBC memo by an external standards adviser raised concerns about how it was edited.
The documentary was not broadcast in the US.
Mr Trump may have sued in the US because defamation claims in the United Kingdom must be brought within a year of publication, a window that has closed for the Panorama episode.
Deborah Turness acknowledged the matter had negatively impacted the BBC. (Reuters: Belinda Jiao)
To overcome the US Constitution’s legal protections for free speech and the press, Mr Trump will need to prove not only that the edit was false and defamatory but also that the BBC knowingly misled viewers or acted recklessly.
The broadcaster could argue that the documentary was substantially true and its editing decisions did not create a false impression, legal experts said.
A leaked memo brought down two senior BBC bosses
It could also claim the program did not damage the president’s reputation.
Other media outlets have settled with Mr Trump, including CBS and ABC, when he sued them following his comeback win in the November 2024 election.
Mr Trump has filed lawsuits against the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and a newspaper in Iowa, all three of which have denied wrongdoing.
Reuters