Whistleblower Alleges BBC Spliced Trump's Jan. 6 Speech

A 19-page internal dossier by former BBC standards adviser Michael Prescott alleges Panorama’s October 2024 special “Trump: A Second Chance?” deceptively spliced separate parts of Donald Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021 speech to make him appear to urge supporters to “fight like hell,” omitting lines where he told the crowd to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” The report says editors paired the altered audio with footage of flag-waving men filmed before Trump spoke, creating the impression his remarks prompted the Capitol march and “completely misled” viewers. Prescott says he raised the complaints with BBC leadership before leaving his advisory role and that executives refused to accept there had been a standards breach. The broadcast aired about a week before the 2024 U.S. election and the dossier has prompted public outrage, calls for parliamentary inquiries and demands for explanations, with commentators warning it could have influenced voters and noting possible legal consequences. The BBC has not publicly confirmed a breach and, while declining to comment on leaked documents, says it takes feedback seriously and considers it carefully.