London — The outgoing director of the BBC addressed staff of the publicly-funded British national broadcaster in a call on Tuesday admitting mistakes were made but urging them to "fight for our journalism" after President Trump threatened to sue the corporation for $1 billion over a program it aired in 2024 about the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
"I do hear everyone when we have to be very clear and stand up for our journalism. We are in a unique and precious organization, and I see the free press under pressure. I see the weaponization. I think we've got to fight for our journalism," Tim Davie said in the Tuesday call.
Davie gave three main reasons for his decision to step down from his role, including the demanding nature of the job and the upcoming BBC Charter renewal process that will take place in the U.K.
He also said: "I think we did make a mistake and there was an editorial breach and some responsibility had to be taken. So putting that together, that's what made my decision."
BBC Director-General Tim Davie is pictured at BBC World Service offices in London, in an April 28, 2022 file photo.
Hannah McKay/AP
There was no direct mention of Mr. Trump's threat of legal action, but Davie said political pressures on the BBC from both the U.K. and abroad were "challenging."
In a letter to the BBC's legal team dated November 9, lawyers working for Mr. Trump alleged that the October 28, 2024 episode of the network's "Panorama" documentary program, called "Trump: A Second Chance," which was produced by an external production company, sought to mislead viewers by editing together three separate sections of a speech made by Mr. Trump on Jan. 6.
The letter claimed that the program "has caused President Trump to suffer overwhelming financial and reputational harm," and that it was defamatory under Florida law.
It outlined demands by Mr. Trump that the BBC retract the documentary, issue an apology, and "appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused."
The letter did not clarify what would be considered appropriate compensation, but it warned that if the BBC failed to comply with Mr. Trump's demands by Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern, Mr. Trump would file "legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages. The BBC is on notice."
A spokesperson for the BBC said Monday that it would "review the letter and respond in due course."
U.K. media lawyer Mark Stephens said it would be hard for Mr. Trump to sue the BBC in the United States.
"Panorama wasn't broadcast in the USA, and BBC iPlayer (the BBC's streaming platform) isn't available … so it's not clear that any U.S. court would have jurisdiction to hear the claim," Stephens said on the BBC's breakfast program.
The Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie, and its CEO of news, Debora Turness, resigned Sunday amid criticism of the program.
"Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility," Davie said in a letter to staff.
Turness said the controversy around the Panorama episode about Mr. Trump had "reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC — an institution that I love. As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me."
Pressure on the top BBC executives mounted after Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper published a leaked memo compiled by Michael Prescott, who had been hired to advise the BBC on standards and guidelines. Among other things, the memo was critical of the editing of the Panorama episode.
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