The UK Culture Minister, Lisa Nandy, on Sunday described accusations that the BBC misrepresented remarks made by US President Donald Trump in a documentary as “extremely serious.”
Speaking on BBC News, Nandy said she had spoken to Samir Shah, the president of the publicly funded broadcaster, earlier in the week. Shah is expected to address a parliamentary committee on Monday, and according to several media reports, including the BBC itself, he plans to issue an apology.
The controversy originated from a documentary aired by the BBC programme “Panorama” a week before the upcoming US presidential election on 5 November 2024. The Daily Telegraph revealed the story on Tuesday.
The BBC is accused of editing segments of a speech made by Trump in a way that implied he urged his supporters to march on the Capitol and “fight like hell.” In the full speech, he actually stated, “we’re going to walk down to the Capitol and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” The phrase “fight like hell” came from a separate part of the speech.
Trump made the remarks in question on 6 January 2021, the day when hundreds of his supporters attacked the US Capitol. Despite losing the election to Democrat Joe Biden, Trump falsely claimed victory.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed Shah would deliver “a full response” to the Culture and Media Committee in Parliament on Monday.
Minister Nandy expressed confidence that the broadcaster’s management was “treating the matter with the seriousness it requires.” She added the allegations were not limited to the “Panorama” programme but suggested there could be broader concerns about systemic bias in how the BBC handles contentious issues.
