00:00US President Donald Trump has launched a major legal offensive against the BBC,
00:13accusing the British broadcaster of defamation.
00:16The lawsuit targets a panorama documentary
00:19that examined Trump's actions and rhetoric
00:21surrounding the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
00:25Trump argues the program crossed a critical line,
00:28not by analysing his words, but by altering them.
00:32Court documents filed in Florida
00:34show Trump is suing the BBC for defamation
00:37and for violating a trade practices law.
00:39He is demanding $5 billion in damages on each claim,
00:43an extraordinary figure that underscores how seriously he views the case.
00:47If successful, the lawsuit could set a powerful precedent
00:51for how global media outlets cover US political figures.
00:56At the heart of the dispute is an edited clip of Trump's January 6 speech,
01:01delivered shortly before thousands of his supporters moved toward the US Capitol.
01:07In the original address, Trump told the crowd they would walk down to the Capitol
01:11and cheer on lawmakers.
01:13Nearly 50 minutes later, he used the phrase,
01:16we fight like hell.
01:19In the panorama documentary, those two lines were spliced together,
01:23creating the impression that Trump directly urged the crowd to go to the Capitol and fight.
01:29Trump's legal team argues the edit collapsed time and context,
01:33changing the intent of the speech.
01:35They say the result falsely portrayed Trump as issuing a direct call to violence.
01:40The BBC later acknowledged the edit and issued an apology in November.
01:45The broadcaster admitted the clip gave what it described as a
01:49mistaken impression that Trump had made a direct appeal for violent action.
01:53However, the BBC stopped short of admitting wrongdoing
01:57and firmly rejected Trump's demand for compensation.
02:00Trump has made it clear he is not satisfied with an apology alone.
02:06Speaking to reporters last month, he said he felt compelled to sue,
02:10accusing the BBC of deliberately misleading viewers.
02:14They cheated, Trump said,
02:16adding that the network had changed the words coming out of his mouth.
02:21In a little while you'll be saying I'm suing the BBC for putting words in my mouth,
02:24literally to put words in my mouth.
02:26They had me saying things that I never said coming out.
02:29I guess they used AI or something.
02:31So we'll be bringing that lawsuit.
02:34The lawsuit fits into a broader pattern of Trump
02:37aggressively confronting media organisations
02:40he believes have treated him unfairly.
02:42Throughout his political career,
02:44Trump has portrayed himself as a victim of biased coverage,
02:48particularly from international broadcasters.
02:51Supporters say the case is about accountability,
02:54while critics argue it risks chilling press freedom.
02:59Legal experts say the case could test the boundaries of defamation law,
03:03especially when it comes to editing political speech for documentaries.
03:07It also raises questions about how non-US media outlets
03:10may be held accountable in American courts.
03:13The BBC has yet to respond publicly to the filing of the lawsuit.
03:17As the legal battle unfolds,
03:19it could become a defining moment in the ongoing clash between political power and press scrutiny.
03:24The BBC has yet to be held at the downtown
03:37the next few days.
03:39ē¬¬2ꬔē¬¬1 Covid-19
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