Donald Trump has announced to file a defamation case against BBC. Regarding the alleged editing of his January 6, 2021 speech in the Panorama show, Trump alleged that his words were changed by AI. The controversy deepened.
Trump Capitol Speech Editing: Once again a big controversy has arisen in American politics and international media world. US President Donald Trump has clearly said that he can file a case against BBC today or tomorrow. The matter is related to BBC’s famous current affairs program “Panorama”, in which serious allegations have been made regarding Trump’s speech for the year 2021. Trump says that BBC distorted his words and this damaged his image. This is the reason why now this matter seems to be moving towards a defamation case worth billions of dollars.
What was shown in the panorama show that sparked controversy?
Some video clips of Trump’s speech given on 6 January 2021 were shown in the BBC’s Panorama program. This was the same day that Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol and Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory was being certified in Parliament. Two separate parts of the speech were combined in the program in such a way that it seemed as if Trump had directly incited his supporters to attack the Capitol. The whole controversy started from here.
“Words were put in my mouth” – What allegations did Trump make on BBC?
“Literally, they put words in my mouth,” Trump, 79, said while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. Trump, without presenting any concrete evidence, accused BBC of using AI or any other technology to alter his speech. He claims that things which he never said were shown in his name through editing.
Why was there great turmoil within the BBC?
After this edited clip surfaced, there was a huge uproar in early November. The controversy grew so much that the Director-General of BBC and the organization’s top news executive had to resign. However, BBC has completely rejected Trump’s defamation allegations. BBC Chairman Sameer Shah sent an apology to Trump, but denied legal responsibility.
Could this lawsuit turn into billions of dollars?
Donald Trump has already filed lawsuits or threatened legal action against many media organizations in America. In some of these cases, settlements worth millions of dollars have also been reached. In such a situation, the question is arising that if this case is filed, can it become the biggest legal crisis in the history of BBC?
Why is this matter important before the elections?
This dispute has become even more sensitive before the 2024 US presidential elections. Trump supporters are calling it a media conspiracy, while critics are calling it a matter of accountability. Now everyone’s eyes are on whether Trump really files a lawsuit against BBC today, or is it just a strategy to create pressure.