The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is preparing to issue an apology after facing heavy backlash for editing Donald Trump’s January 6 speech in a way critics say made it look as if the US president encouraged the 2021 Capitol riot. At the centre of the storm is Samir Shah, the Indian-origin Chair of the BBC, who will write to the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Monday to address the row.Shah is expected to acknowledge that the 2024 BBC Panorama documentary should not have altered Trump’s speech in the way it did. According to reports, he will tell lawmakers that the programme could have made it clearer that the audio had been changed. He will also say the BBC did not intend to mislead viewers. The White House had earlier called the edit “dishonest.”The Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph were first to report on the planned apology. The story comes after days of scrutiny of the BBC’s reporting on several issues, including Gaza coverage and stories involving transgender rights.
Who is Samir Shah?
Samir Shah was born in India and moved to England in 1960. He has worked in broadcasting for more than forty years, according to BBC. Before becoming Chair of the BBC in March 2024, he served as the CEO of Juniper, an independent television and radio production company. He previously led current affairs and political programmes at the BBC and has held several major roles in the UK’s media and cultural landscape, including Non-Executive Director of the BBC, Chair of the Museum of the Home and Deputy Chair of the V&A.He has received an OBE and CBE for services to television and heritage, has been recognised by the Royal Television Society, and has held academic positions at Oxford University and the University of Nottingham. As BBC Chair, he is responsible for protecting the corporation’s independence, upholding editorial standards and ensuring the broadcaster serves the public interest. His term runs until March 2028, and the role requires a commitment of at least three days per week with annual fees of £160,000.
What was the drama about?
The documentary at the centre of the controversy, Trump: A Second Chance?, produced by October Films, used an edited line that made it appear as if Trump said, “We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you and we fight. We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not gonna have a country anymore.” In reality, 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.” The “fight like hell” remark appeared almost an hour later in a different part of the speech.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt strongly condemned the edit. She told the Telegraph: “This purposefully dishonest, selectively edited clip by the BBC is further evidence that they are total, 100% fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom.”Trump also slammed the BBC, calling them “corrupt journalists” in a post on Truth Social. The MAGA chief also acknowledged the stepping down of Tim Davie, the director general of the BBC, who quit following the row.
