The BBC is ready to formally apologize to Donald Trump as part of its efforts to resolve his billion-dollar editing of one of his speeches, the Guardian understands.
However, the corporate figures also thought to be strong in defending its journalism in the face of allegations from the trumpet that it was made “unhealthy, breastfeeding, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and flaps, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and flaps, and inflammatory, and inflammatory, and misleading statements” about him.
The leadership of the BBC faces a growing deadline on how to respond to Trump’s legal threat, filed in a Florida court. This follows the editing of a speech by Trump in an edition of Panorama, which was an important factor in the launch of Director General Tim Davie and Deborah in the news.
Beyond a fresh apology, a critical question remains how to defend its reporting in the US, given that Trump’s allies have published “fake news” related to him.
Its legal team focused on its response to the complaint. This is related to an edition of Panorama Broadcasting last year, which counted clips of a speech by Trump made in the US attack on the Capitol later.
The Spliced Clip suggests Trump told the crowd: “We’re going to the Capitol and I’m going to be with you, and we’re going to fight like hell.” The words were taken from sections of his speech about an hour apart.
The Guardian understands that given an apology of the edit has been made by the BBC’s chair, Samir Shah, senior figures see no reason why a more personal apology cannot be made to the president in his official response to the legal threat. The corporation concluded that the edit “gives the impression that President Trump is making a direct call for violent action”.
People familiar with the discussions on how to respond also said the pardon meant it could push back any broader criticism of the US related to Trump’s coverage. A US Congressional Committee found that Trump failed to act to prevent his supporters from attacking the Capitol.
Having to take legal action, the leadership of the BBC is faced with a sad choice of a public war with the US President, given the politics funded by the public through the license fee.
The BBC has insurance that covers legal challenges to its journalism. However, insiders acknowledged that the ever-increasing pressure of legal costs would necessitate a delay within months.
It comes as Trump doubled down on his legal threat, saying he felt he had an “obligation” to report the BBC. “I think I should,” he told Fox News. “They rejected the public and they admitted it. It’s inside one of our allies who are allies, so our allies.”
He added: “They showed me the consequences of how they broke it. It was dishonest and people’s heads stopped and a lot of people stopped.”
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Legal experts have questioned the Trump Team’s chances of victory in any court case, given Florida’s liberal libel laws and the fact that the Panorama Episode is not available in the state. The broadcast took too long to get legal action in the UK. Trump must also prove that he was harmed by the program.
Trump has often used lawsuits to attack media criticism, with many major networks choosing to settle claims with an eye on their commercial interests. Trump also has outstanding lawsuits against The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
The editing was one of the criticisms of the BBC raised in a memo by Michael Prescott, a former independent BBC editorial director. He left the role in the summer.
There is anger within the BBC at Trump Edit. However, there is also concern over the political nature of the Price Memo, which outlines a series of claims of liberal bias that have grown over the years. The BBC says some of the issues are historical, while serious action has already been taken in relation to others.
Prescott said he has no political affiliations to raise his concerns.