BBC chair apologies for 'error in judgment' in Trump speech edit

The chair of the BBC is apologizing for the way the broadcaster edited a video of President Trump speaking to a crowd of his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington D.C. before the attack on the Capitol that day.

Criticisms of the edit, which have led to the resignations of both BBC Director-General Tim Davie and the CEO of BBC News, Deborah Turness, has "also prompted further reflection by the BBC," Chair Samir Shah wrote in a letter to British lawmakers this week.

"The conclusion of that deliberation is that we accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action. The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement," Shah said.

The video in question, shown as part of a BBC documentary and highlighted in reporting by The Telegraph, depicts Trump saying “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”

A complete video and transcript of the president's remarks shows him urging his supporters to "peacefully and patriotically" march to the Capitol.

Trump has celebrated the resignation of Davie and Turness and has ridiculed the BBC over the edit, alleging the episode is evidence of bias against him.

"I will personally ensure that the BBC continues to take the necessary actions in the future to ensure the BBC retains the trust and confidence of the public we serve," Shah wrote in his letter. "There is an increasing need for the public to be informed in a way that is impartial, truthful and is based on evidence they can trust. That is the sacred job of the BBC."