The BBC faces “serious questions”, according to a cross-party group of Members of Parliament, following allegations that a *Panorama* documentary misled viewers through the editing of a speech by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
*The Telegraph* reports it has obtained an internal memo suggesting the program spliced together two separate segments of Trump’s speech, creating the impression he explicitly encouraged the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021.
The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee has confirmed it has written to BBC Chairman Samir Shah, seeking clarification on the actions being taken to address the concerns outlined in the memo.
A BBC spokesperson stated: “While we don’t comment on leaked documents, the BBC takes all feedback seriously and considers it carefully.”
Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the committee, emphasized the need for assurance that senior BBC leadership is “treating these issues with the seriousness they deserve.”
She added that the committee aims to ensure the BBC is “taking decisive steps to uphold the corporation’s reputation for integrity and public trust.”
“The corporation must set the benchmark for accurate and fair reporting, especially in a media landscape where it is all too easy to find news presented in a less than impartial way,” she said.
Downing Street has confirmed that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and senior officials within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have received the internal memo and have been assured by the BBC that the corporation is reviewing the issues it raises.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman stated: “We take any criticisms of the BBC’s editorial standards very seriously and we expect the BBC to consider any feedback that they receive seriously and carefully.”
The one-hour program, *Trump: A Second Chance?*, aired last year and was produced for the BBC by independent production company October Films Ltd, which has been contacted for comment.
In his speech in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, Trump stated: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”
However, the *Panorama* edit presented him saying: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
The two sections of the speech that were edited together were reportedly separated by more than 50 minutes.
The “fight like hell” comment originated from a portion of the speech where President Trump discussed alleged “corrupt” U.S. elections. He reportedly used the words “fight” or “fighting” 20 times throughout the address.
According to *The Telegraph*, the program followed the edited speech with footage of individuals marching on the Capitol with flags.
The leaked memo asserts that this “created the impression President Trump’s supporters had taken up his ‘call to arms,'” while the footage was, in fact, shot before the president began speaking.
On January 6, 2021, hundreds of Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol, protesting the election victory of Joe Biden. The events resulted in five deaths.
The House of Representatives accused Trump of inciting violence through false claims of election fraud, although he was acquitted of an impeachment charge alleging he incited a mob to storm the Capitol.
According to *The Telegraph*, the document suggests *Panorama’s* “distortion of the day’s events” would prompt viewers to question: “Why should the BBC be trusted, and where will this all end?”
The memo alleges that when the issue was raised with managers, they “refused to accept there had been a breach of standards.”
Speaking to GB News on Tuesday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the edits as “absolutely shocking,” adding: “That is fake news, actually putting different things together to make something look different from what it actually was.”
“And I do think heads should roll. Whoever it was who did that should be sacked, that’s what Tim Davie should be doing, identifying who put out misinformation, and sacking them.”
She continued: “The public need to be able to trust our public broadcaster… They should not be telling us things that are not true.”
“This is a corporation that needs to hold itself to the highest standards, and that means that when we see people doing the wrong thing, they should be punished, they should be sacked.”
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson also weighed in, asking on X: “Is anyone at the BBC going to take responsibility – and resign?”
*The Telegraph* reports that the document concerning BBC bias was authored by Michael Prescott, formerly an independent external advisor to the broadcaster’s editorial guidelines and standards committee. He departed from the role in June.
The newspaper stated that a whistleblower circulated a copy of the 19-page dossier to every member of the BBC board last month. BBC News has not obtained a copy of the memo.
In its statement, the BBC said: “Michael Prescott is a former adviser to a board committee where differing views and opinions of our coverage are routinely discussed and debated.”
BBC News has reached out to Mr. Prescott for comment.
In a separate development, *The Telegraph* has also reported that Mr. Prescott raised concerns regarding a lack of action to address “systemic problems” of bias in BBC Arabic’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The paper alleges that BBC Arabic featured pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic commentators on air hundreds of times, and that Mr. Prescott claimed an internal report revealed “stark differences” between the BBC Arabic and the main BBC News website’s coverage of the conflict.
Mr. Prescott reportedly stated that BBC Arabic’s treatment of one particular story “was designed to minimise Israeli suffering and paint Israel as the aggressor,” while allegations against Israel were “raced to air” without proper verification, indicating either negligence or “a desire always to believe the worst about Israel,” according to *The Telegraph*.
In response, a BBC spokesperson stated: “With regard to BBC News Arabic, where mistakes have been made or errors have occurred we have acknowledged them at the time and taken action.”
“We have also previously acknowledged that certain contributors should not have been used and have improved our processes to avoid a repeat of this.”
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