Copyright Newsweek
The BBC has been accused of doctoring a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump in a program that aired a week before the 2024 presidential election, making him appear to encourage the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The British broadcaster “completely” misled viewers by splicing together separate sections of a speech Trump gave that day in a Panorama program, a former adviser to the BBC wrote in an internal whistleblowing dossier, The Telegraph newspaper reported. A BBC spokesperson told Newsweek that it does not comment on leaked documents, but added that when “the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully.” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Newsweek on Tuesday that it was another example of “deceptive editing, misleading reporting, and outright lies” that explain why “countess Americans turn to alternative media sources to get their news.” Why It Matters The accusation, which arrives at a time of heightened media scrutiny, not only raises questions about the BBC’s editorial practices but also fuels claims of media bias—which could further strain relations between the White House and the press. While Trump was indicted on felony charges after working to overturn the results of the 2020 election, he was not charged with inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a bid to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Following Trump’s 2024 presidential victory, special counsel Jack Smith dropped the federal cases against him, citing long-standing Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be indicted. What To Know The complaints in the dossier relate to an hour-long Panorama special called “Trump: A Second Chance?” that aired in October 2024. According to The Telegraph, the dossier said the program combined separate parts of Trump’s speech to make him “‘say’ things [he] never actually said.” The spliced clip that aired on the program indicates that Trump told the crowd: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.” In his speech, Trump said: “We’re gonna walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We’re gonna walk down. We’re gonna walk down any one you want, but I think right here. We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol, and we’re gonna cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. And we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong. “We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated, lawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” Almost an hour later, Trump said near the end of his speech: “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” The dossier was written by Michael Prescott, who was an independent external adviser to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee for three years before leaving in June. Newsweek has contacted Prescott for comment via email. Prescott, a former journalist, sent the dossier to the BBC Board after repeated warnings to the committee had been “dismissed or ignored,” The Telegraph reported. He wrote in a letter sent with the dossier that he had left the role with “profound and unresolved concerns about the BBC.” “My view is that the Executive repeatedly failed to implement measures to resolve highlighted problems, and in many cases simply refused to acknowledge there was an issue at all,” Prescott continued. What People Are Saying Michael Prescott wrote in the dossier, per The Telegraph: “It was completely misleading to edit the clip in the way Panorama aired it. The fact that [Trump] did not explicitly exhort supporters to go down and fight at Capitol Hill was one of the reasons there were no federal charges for incitement to riot.” A BBC spokesperson told Newsweek: “While we don’t comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully. Michael Prescott is a former adviser to a board committee where differing views and opinions of our coverage are routinely discussed and debated.” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Newsweek: “Trust in the media is at an all-time low because of deceptive editing, misleading reporting, and outright lies. This is yet another example, of many, highlighting why countless Americans turn to alternative media sources to get their news.” Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, wrote on X while sharing a link to The Telegraph’s report: “The FAKE NEWS ‘reporters’ in the U.K. are just as dishonest and full of s*** as the ones here in America!!!!” Nigel Huddleston, the shadow culture secretary, told The Telegraph: “These are extremely concerning revelations that could seriously undermine the brand and reputation of the BBC.” He added: “License-fee payers deserve an immediate explanation and apology from the BBC and a thorough investigation into this scandal must take place.” Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, wrote on X: “This is a total disgrace. The BBC has doctored footage of Trump to make it look as though he incited a riot—when he in fact said no such thing. We have Britain’s national broadcaster using a flagship program to tell palpable untruths about Britain’s closest ally. Is anyone at the BBC going to take responsibility—and resign?” What Happens Next Lawmakers in the Conservative Party, the U.K.’s main opposition party, have called for an investigation into how the program was allowed to air.
