US President Donald Trump’s press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the BBC of being ‘total, 100% fake news’ amid a row over an edited Panorama documentary
Lisa Nandy has rejected Donald Trump’s White House claim the BBC is “100% fake news” amid a row over an edited Panorama documentary.
The BBC is expected to respond to the incident on Monday – but the Culture Secretary insisted she had full confidence in the corporation’s leadership.
The concerns regard clips spliced together from sections of the US president’s speech on January 6 2021 – the day of the attack on the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters. The speech was broadcast again by the BBC last October as part of a Panorama documentary.
Last week Mr Trump’s press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Telegraph: “This purposefully dishonestly, selectively edited clip by the BBC is further evidence that they are total, 100% fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom.”
While describing the accusations as “incredibly serious”, Culture Secretary Ms Nandy said: “I strongly disagree with that.” She added: “The truth is if the BBC didn’t exist, we would have to invent it.
“It is the envy of the world, the world service in particular is a light on the hill for the people all over the world, presenting news and views that punctuate the darkness in places where you don’t have free and open democratic discussion.”
She said she had been “robust” with the BBC when falling short of editorial standards. She also told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show: “I have discussed the range of issues that were raised in the email that was leaked to the BBC.
“It isn’t just about the Panorama programme, although that is incredibly serious. There are a series of very serious allegations made, the most serious of which is that there is systemic bias in the way that difficult issues are reported at the BBC.
“I’ve spoken to the chairman (Samir Shah) this week. I am confident that he is treating this with the seriousness that that demands, and I understand he will be reporting back to the select committee on Monday.”
Over the weekend a row also erupted between Boris Johnson and BBC presenter Nick Robinson after the ex-PM accused the broadcaster of “arrogance” following claims of a political campaign to “destroy” the corporation.
The presenter of BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme had said on the show there was “a genuine concern about editorial standards and mistakes” at the broadcaster, but added: “There is also a political campaign by people who want to destroy the organisation that you are currently listening to. Both things are happening at the same time.”