An internal report has accused the BBC of altering footage of Donald Trump’s speech on January 6, portraying it as if he urged his followers to storm the Capitol. This revelation has sparked controversy.
Michael Prescott, who served as an independent advisor to the BBC for three years until his departure last June, compiled an incriminating dossier sent to the BBC’s board after his repeated alerts to the standards watchdog were reportedly overlooked.
The 19-page dossier, which The Telegraph acquired, has caused a stir among top British political circles. The BBC, publicly funded by UK citizens, faces accusations of biased reporting, including anti-Israeli perspectives on the Gaza conflict and suppressing discussions on transgender issues.
Prescott detailed how the BBC, often lauded as the world’s most trusted broadcaster, misrepresented Trump’s words on a Panorama episode aired a week before the election. The program showed Trump asserting he would accompany supporters to the Capitol to “fight like hell.”
Contrarily, Trump’s actual words were to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard” as he expressed his intention to walk with them.
The report highlighted how the program misled viewers by splicing together parts of Trump’s speech, combining his initial remarks with statements made almost an hour later, creating a misleading narrative.
The BBC’s edited footage also featured crowd noise that made the MAGA faithful appear more menacing.
The Capitol riot has been a lasting stain on Trump’s legacy, and the president himself remains under legal scrutiny with ongoing charges related to his role in the 2021 events.
US President Donald Trump speaks at ‘Save America March’ rally in Washington D.C., United States on January 6, 2021
The president sparked backlash on the first day of his second term by pardoning all 1,600 individuals who had been convicted or were awaiting trial or sentencing for offenses related to the January 6 riot.
When the memo was brought to the attention of BBC leadership, they ‘refused to accept there had been a breach of standards.’
The memo’s author additionally warned Samir Shah, the BBC chairman, of the ‘very, very dangerous precedent’ set by Panorama but was ignored.
It is now understood that Prescott’s report is circulating amongst senior figures in the British government.
The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., responded to the controversy by calling UK media ‘dishonest.’
‘The FAKE NEWS ‘reporters’ in the UK are just as dishonest and full of shit as the ones here in America!!!!’ Trump Jr. wrote on X.
Boris Johnson, Britain’s former conservative prime minister, said: ‘This is a total disgrace. The BBC has doctored footage of Trump to make it look as though he incited a riot – when he in fact said no such thing.
‘We have Britain’s national broadcaster using a flagship program to tell palpable untruths about Britain’s closest ally. Is anyone at the BBC going to take responsibility – and resign?’
A mob of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump fight with members of law enforcement at a door they broke open as they storm the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021
Protestors storm inside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol
Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform party, said: ‘It’s no wonder that fewer people are paying the BBC license fee every single year.’
The former BBC adviser who authored the memo says he was compelled to speak out because of his ‘despair at inaction by the BBC Executive when issues come to light’.
‘I departed [from the advisory role] with profound and unresolved concerns about the BBC,’ Prescott wrote. ‘My view is that the Executive repeatedly failed to implement measures to resolve highlighted problems, and in many cases simply refused to acknowledge there was an issue at all.’
He said he had been shocked at the defensiveness of Jonathan Munro, the BBC’s senior controller of news content, and Deborah Turness, chief executive of BBC News, when his complaints were raised.
He added: ‘Firm and transparent action plans to prevent the re-occurrence of problems are in short supply – and so, as you can see, errors are repeated time and again.’
The accusations come at a critical time for the BBC who are facing funding negotiations with the government when the royal charter comes up for renewal in 2027.
A BBC spokesperson told the Mail: ‘While we don’t comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully.
‘Michael Prescott is a former adviser to a board committee where differing views and opinions of our coverage are routinely discussed and debated.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House for comment.
