Sweden’s public broadcaster edited President Donald Trump’s January 6 speech in a way that misrepresented his message, much as the BBC has been accused of doing, the Kvartal newspaper has reported.
SVT, which is publicly funded, edited footage of Trump’s 2021 speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., omitting key moments where he called on supporters to behave “peacefully and patriotically,” according to Swedish outlet Kvartal.
Newsweek has contacted SVT via email for comment.
Why it Matters
Kvartal’s investigation into SVT parallels criticism recently faced by the BBC over similar edits in a Panorama documentary, which led to a public apology and resignations from the U.K. public broadcaster’s leadership.
What To Know
The edited segment, part of the broadcaster’s 2024 coverage of the January 2021 riots at the United States Capitol, was reported to create an impression that Trump was inciting the disorder by removing some context.
SVT has amended the video, inserting black frames and explanatory pauses to clarify context. Karin Ekman, SVT’s executive producer, said these updates aimed to enhance clarity for viewers.
The BBC previously admitted that its own edit of Trump’s remarks created a “mistaken impression” and apologized to Trump.
But the corporation refused demands for compensation and insisted its actions did not constitute defamation.
The editing controversy prompted the resignation of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.
What People Are Saying
Ekman wrote in a statement to Kvartal, according to Sweden Herald: “We will now consider how to ensure that short clips in connection with documentaries always have an understandable context,”
The BBC issued a public apology to Trump, saying in a statement: “We accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and that this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.
“BBC chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry for the edit of the president’s speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme.”
The statement added: “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim.”
Speaking with Fox News about the BBC, Trump said: “They actually changed my January 6 speech, which was a beautiful speech, which was a very calming speech, and they made it sound radical.”
Deborah Turness, outgoing CEO of BBC News, said on her resignation: “I stepped down over the weekend because the buck stops with me. But I’d like to make one thing very clear. BBC News is not institutionally biased. That’s why it’s the world’s most trusted news provider.”
What Happens Next
SVT has indicated it is reviewing its internal editorial practices in light of the revelations and will update its routines to prevent similar incidents.
