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The BBC has issued an apology to President Trump over editing of a speech helium gave connected Jan. 6, 2021, that aired successful its documentary "Trump: A Second Chance." Mr. Trump had threatened to writer the corp for $1 cardinal implicit the programme astir the Capitol riot, and the BBC noted successful a connection Thursday that the broadcaster "strongly disagree[s]" that there's a ground for a defamation claim.
BBC lawyers wrote to Mr. Trump's ineligible squad successful effect to a missive they received Sunday, the BBC Press Office said. In the letter, lawyers moving for Mr. Trump alleged that the Oct. 28, 2024, occurrence of the network's "Panorama" documentary program, which was produced by an outer accumulation company, sought to mislead viewers by editing unneurotic 3 abstracted sections of the code made by Mr. Trump.
"BBC Chair Samir Shah has separately sent a idiosyncratic missive to the White House making wide to President Trump that helium and the Corporation are atrocious for the edit of the President's code connected 6 January 2021, which featured successful the programme," the BBC Press Office said successful its connection Thursday. "The BBC has nary plans to rebroadcast the documentary 'Trump: A Second Chance?' connected immoderate BBC platforms."
"While the BBC sincerely regrets the mode successful which the video clip was edited, we powerfully disagree determination is simply a ground for a defamation claim," the property bureau added.
The White House oregon Mr. Trump did not instantly remark connected the BBC's apology.
The missive implicit the play from Mr. Trump's lawyers claimed that the programme "has caused President Trump to endure overwhelming fiscal and reputational harm," and that it was defamatory nether Florida law. It outlined demands by Mr. Trump that the BBC retract the documentary, contented an apology and "appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused."
The missive did not clarify what would beryllium considered due compensation, but it warned that if the BBC failed to comply with Mr. Trump's demands by Friday astatine 5 p.m. ET, Mr. Trump would record "legal enactment for nary little than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) successful damages."
The head of the BBC and its CEO of quality resigned successful the aftermath of the disapproval of the broadcaster's editing of the speech. The BBC said Director-General Tim Davie and caput of quality Deborah Turness some announced their resignations connected Sunday.
In a missive to staff, Davie said quitting the occupation aft 5 years "is wholly my decision."
"Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but determination person been immoderate mistakes made and arsenic director-general I person to instrumentality eventual responsibility," Davie said, adding that helium was "working done nonstop timings with the Board to let for an orderly modulation to a successor implicit the coming months."
Turness said that the contention astir the Trump documentary "has reached a signifier wherever it is causing harm to the BBC — an instauration that I love. As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the subordinate stops with me."
"While mistakes person been made, I privation to beryllium perfectly wide caller allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong," she added.
Haley Ott contributed to this report.
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