BBC 'doctored' Trump January 6 footage which 'completely misled' viewers, internal memo says
The damning leaked dossier accused Panorama of making Trump say things he did not say by splicing sections of the President's speech
The BBC 'doctored' a Donald Trump speech on January 6 and made him seem as he encouraged the Capitol Hill riot, a leaked internal memo has claimed.
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The memo, reported by the Telegraph, detailed how the "mangled" footage had been broadcast shortly before the 2024 US presidential election by the corporation's flagship 'Panorama' documentary programme.
The damning 19-page dossier said the programme of “completely misled” viewers by showing the President telling his supporters he was going to the Capitol building with them to "fight like hell".
In reality, Trump said he was going to walk with his supporters “to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard”.
In the report, the programme was accused of making the US president “‘say’ things [he] never actually said” by splicing together footage from separate parts of his speech.
The President's son, Donald Trump Jr, slammed the corporation in reaction to the leak, writing: “The FAKE NEWS ‘reporters’ in the UK are just as dishonest and full of s--- as the ones here in America!!!!”
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The Telegraph has said it will also soon publish more excerpts from the memo, which will accuse the BBC’s Arabic service of bias over its coverage of the war in Gaza, and accuse the corporation of “effective censorship” of its coverage of the transgender debate.
The Tories have demanded an immediate investigation into how the documentary was allowed to be broadcast.
Nigel Huddleston, the shadow culture secretary, told the Telegraph: “These are extremely concerning revelations that could seriously undermine the brand and reputation of the BBC.
“The BBC licence fee is justified on the basis of impartiality and trust.
“There can be no justification for this kind of deliberate manipulation and the spreading of misinformation. “This is not the first time that evidence of bias at the BBC has emerged, but it is one of the most stark and alarming examples to date.
“Licence-fee payers deserve an immediate explanation and apology from the BBC and a thorough investigation into this scandal must take place.”
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 programme to tell palpable untruths about Britain’s closest ally. Is anyone at…
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 3, 2025
Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, called the revelation a “total disgrace”.
He posted on X: "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 programme to tell palpable untruths about Britain’s closest ally."
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said: “It’s no wonder that fewer people are paying the BBC licence fee every single year.”
Former BBC radio presenter Liz Kershaw said on X: “This is no surprise to me. I presented news and current affairs programmes on the BBC on four stations from 1993 to 2011. The biased groupthink among its journalists was outrageous and had to be fought and rebalanced every day."