BBC reportedly misedited Trump’s Jan. 6 speech to create a false narrative about the riot.

Trump Speech Edited for BBC Special

President Donald Trump has faced accusations of inciting the Capitol riot during a speech on January 6, 2021. A segment from that speech, which was edited and featured in a BBC documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?”, suggested that these accusations were valid.

The one-hour documentary included a clip showing Trump saying, “We’re going to walk to the Capitol. I’m with you. And we’re going to fight. We’re going to fight like hell.” This was misleading, as it changed the context of his words.

Within the documentary, Trump’s supporters were filmed marching through the Capitol, waving flags, which gave the false impression they were responding directly to his call to action. However, it came to light that the BBC had heavily edited the speech, combining snippets that were nearly an hour apart.

In the unedited version, Trump’s actual words included sentiments about supporting lawmakers and encouraging peaceful protest: “We’re going to come down, and I’ll be there with you… we’re probably going to cheer on some of them that much. We will never take back our country… so we must show strength, and we must be strong… soon everyone here will march to the Capitol and make your voices heard, peacefully and patriotically.”

Approximately 54 minutes later in the speech, he expressed concerns about election integrity, saying, “Most people would stand there at 9 p.m. and say, ‘Thank you very much,’ and move on to another life, but I said something is wrong here… and we’re going to fight.” He stressed the need to “fight like hell” for the country.

According to a 19-page document highlighting the alleged bias of the BBC, the manipulated video aired last October and misrepresented what Trump actually said. The document pointed out that not only were his words edited, but the documentary also suggested a timeline that misled viewers into thinking his supporters acted immediately in response to his speech. Footage used was actually recorded before he spoke.

When confronted with these editing concerns, BBC management reportedly did not acknowledge any breach of standards.

Michael Prescott, who had been an independent adviser to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Board, authored this bias report before his departure in June. A BBC spokesperson remarked that feedback is taken seriously and reviewed carefully.