The British media outlet BBC apologized to US President Donald Trump on Thursday for a report with excerpts from his speech that could give the impression that he encouraged violence, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
At the same time, the media outlet denied that there was any basis for a defamation lawsuit.
With the apology, the BBC aims to avoid legal action by Trump, whose lawyers said that either the British media outlet would apologize for the way it handled the US president's speech or face a huge compensation claim.
The BBC said that its management had sent a letter to the White House clearly stating that the media outlet apologized for the documentary containing Trump's edited speech, and that it will no longer broadcast it on any of its platforms.
"While the BBC sincerely regrets the way the video was edited, we strongly disagree that there is any basis for a defamation claim," the BBC's letter said.
The BBC found itself in a difficult position because it altered Donald Trump's words in its documentary production, presented to the public in October last year, just before the US presidential election, notes Agence France-Presse.
The BBC's material presents parts of Trump's speech from January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol. The material gives the impression that the president has urged his supporters to go to Congress and take violent action.
Trump's lawyers sent a letter to the BBC, saying that the media outlet has until 22:00 GMT today to apologize and remove the offending material from its platforms. They threatened that if the media outlet does not apologize, they will take legal action against it, seeking damages in the amount of one billion dollars.