Today's Edition
LONDON (Reuters, AFP)
BBC News said on Monday the broadcaster had received a letter threatening legal action over the edit of a documentary broadcast a week before the US presidential election.
The BBC has acknowledged the Trump speech edit gave a misleading impression and should have been handled more carefully.
A growing furore around the issue prompted the dramatic resignations on Sunday of two of the broadcaster's top brass and celebrations -- as well as a rebuke -- from the White House.
In a letter to MPs on Monday, BBC chairman Samir Shah said it accepted that the way Trump's speech was edited in a flagship documentary "did give the impression of a direct call for violent action".
"The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement," he added, vowing to reform oversight at the publicly funded broadcaster, among other things.
It came hours after director general Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness resigned amid the escalating backlash over the issue.
Trump promptly celebrated, accusing BBC journalists of being "corrupt" and "dishonest".
His press secretary called the broadcaster "100-percent fake news".
"We will review the letter and respond directly in due course," a BBC spokesperson told Reuters in an email.
Samir Shah, the chairman of the publicly-funded broadcaster, said in an interview with BBC News that it was "considering" how to respond to Trump's communication.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesman pushed back on Monday.
"The BBC has a vital role in an age of disinformation," he said, although he stressed: "It's important that the BBC acts swiftly to maintain trust and correct mistakes quickly when they occur."
