The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has issued a public apology after coming under fire for airing an edited version of a 2021 speech by U.S. President Donald Trump that appeared to show him making “a direct call for violent action” ahead of the January 6 Capitol riot.

In a statement released on Monday, the BBC admitted that the broadcast “did not accurately reflect the full context” of Trump’s remarks during the rally that preceded the assault on the U.S. Capitol.

The network described the decision to edit the footage as “an error of judgment” and pledged to review its editorial procedures to prevent a repeat occurrence.

The controversy has led to the dramatic resignations of two senior BBC executives on Sunday.

Their departure followed mounting criticism from both political figures and media analysts, who accused the corporation of compromising its commitment to impartiality and accuracy.

The White House welcomed the resignations, describing them as a “necessary step towards accountability,” while Trump supporters celebrated the development as vindication of their long-standing claims of media bias against the former president.

Trump himself reacted to the incident on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying the BBC had been “caught red-handed spreading misinformation.” He called the apology “a small victory for truth” but demanded further investigations into what he termed “media manipulation.”

The scandal has reignited debates about journalistic ethics and the role of media organisations in shaping political narratives, especially in the context of highly polarised events such as the January 6 insurrection.

The BBC said it would conduct an internal review and reaffirmed its commitment to fairness, transparency, and trust in public broadcasting.