BBC Accused of Cowardice Over Censored Reith Lecture
The BBC is facing significant backlash and accusations of cowardice after it instructed its presenters and journalists not to quote a specific line removed from a prestigious Reith Lecture. The censored statement, delivered by Dutch writer Rutger Bregman, labelled former US President Donald Trump as ‘the most openly corrupt president in American history’.
Bregman publicly condemned the BBC's decision to edit his lecture, which he was invited to give by the corporation. The BBC has stated that the removal was made following specific legal advice. This incident occurs in the context of a previous threat from Trump to sue the BBC for up to $5bn (£3.8bn) concerning a separate Panorama programme that edited his speech from the day of the Capitol riots in January 2021.
Internal BBC Ban Extends to News Coverage
In a further controversial move, it has emerged that BBC outlets have been directed not to repeat Bregman's corruption allegation against Trump, even within their news reports covering the decision to censor the lecture. This internal prohibition was starkly demonstrated during an edition of BBC Radio 4’s Media Show.
While discussing Bregman's claims of censorship, the presenter, Ros Atkins, explicitly told listeners: “Also for legal reasons, we’re not able to tell you what that line is.” A similar notice was appended to an online article about the edit, stating that BBC News is not repeating the line on the same legal grounds.
Rutger Bregman responded by suggesting the issue runs deeper than a single edited sentence. “If BBC journalists are not allowed to mention a sentence in a story about censorship, then the problem is far bigger than one line in my lecture,” he stated. He described a dynamic of institutions self-censoring out of fear of the powerful and called for full transparency on who made the decision and why.
Political and Editorial Fallout Intensifies
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from political and media figures. Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative chair of the culture, media and sport select committee, described the situation as “a bit bizarre” and a damaging consequence of the earlier Panorama edit. She expressed concern that the BBC now appears nervous about reporting on the Trump administration.
Echoing this sentiment, former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber called the editing of the lecture a “terrible, weak-kneed decision.” He emphasised that while legal advice may have been sought, lawyers should not have the final word, especially for an opinion-based platform like the Reith Lectures.
This controversy is directly linked to the Panorama programme that edited two parts of a Trump speech together, leading the BBC to apologise for creating a mistaken impression. The internal dispute over this edit contributed to the resignations of both the director general, Tim Davie, and the BBC News chief, Deborah Turness.
Dinenage also indicated that the BBC's board, including chair Samir Shah, who recently appeared before her committee, is part of a wider sense of chaos within the corporation that requires fundamental change to restore stability.
