BBC apologizes for misleading editing, Trump still claims to sue for up to $5 billion
US President Trump said today that he will sue the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for damages ranging from 1 billion to 5 billion dollars. Previously, the BBC has publicly apologized for a misleading edited video of Trump's speech, but clearly stated that it would not pay any compensation.
According to AFP, Trump said during an interview on Air Force One: "We will sue them, with damages ranging from 1 billion to 5 billion dollars, and we are expected to file the lawsuit at some point next week. I think I have to do this, they even admitted they altered the video content."
Trump's legal team sent a letter to the BBC on the 10th, accusing the BBC of broadcasting edited clips of his speech before the Capitol riot in 2021, which constitutes defamation, and demanding that the BBC publicly apologize and pay compensation by the 14th.
In the evening, Trump further stated: "It is understandable that the British people are angry about this, because it shows that BBC is fake news."
He also said he plans to communicate with UK Prime Minister Starmer (Keir Starmer) about this matter. Starmer emphasized his support for the independence of the BBC, but tried to avoid taking sides in the dispute with Trump.
Trump said: "I will call him over the weekend. He has already contacted me. He feels very embarrassed about this."
The BBC has apologized for a documentary aired this month. The editing method of the clip misled viewers into believing that Trump directly urged his supporters to take "violent actions" before the attack on the US Congress on January 6, 2021. The incident sparked significant controversy, leading to the resignation of the BBC's CEO and Chief News Executive.
The BBC said yesterday that Chairman Shah (Samir Shah) has "personally written to the White House, clearly expressing to President Trump that he and the BBC deeply regret the way the speech was edited."
However, the BBC emphasized: "Although we are deeply sorry about the editing method, we strongly disagree that this incident constitutes a legal basis sufficient to initiate a defamation lawsuit." (Country Cat)
Photo: US President Trump said today that he will sue the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for damages ranging from 1 billion to 5 billion dollars. Previously, the BBC had apologized for the misleading edited video of Trump's speech, but stated that it would not pay any compensation. (Reuters)
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848845925726216/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself