🔗 Share this article British Broadcasting Corporation Branded as "Totally Fake News" by Donald Trump's Spokesperson The former US president's official spokesperson has described the BBC as "100% fake news" and a "propaganda machine" in a forthright interview. These remarks follow claims of partiality at the network. White House Official Condemns BBC Coverage The White House official, a senior figure in the Trump administration, remarked that viewing BBC bulletins during trips to the UK "ruins" her day. She asserted that the public are "compelled to foot the bill for a leftist propaganda machine." Dispute Over Altered Speech Leavitt's comments came after MPs said the broadcaster had "significant concerns to answer" regarding how a speech by the US president was edited in a BBC Panorama program. A report leaked to a publication indicated that an installment of the news programme "thoroughly deceived" audiences by combining two segments of the oration together. The programme depicted the president saying he would march with his supporters to the Capitol prior to the riots on 6 January 2021, encouraging them to "fight like hell". Nevertheless, it omitted a section of the talk where he urged the crowd "to express views calmly and loyally". “This intentionally deceptive, carefully cut footage from the BBC further proves they are entirely, 100% fake news, unworthy of airtime on the screens of the UK's admirable citizens.” Leavitt continued: "Whenever I travel to the United Kingdom with President Trump and am forced to watch the BBC in our hotel rooms, it ruins my day listening to their blatant propaganda and lies about the president of the United States and all that he’s doing to make America better and the world a safer place." Leaked Memo Emphasizes Production Issues The publication reported its reporting was based on a memo written by a former adviser to the BBC's content standards board. The adviser departed his role recently and has not commented on the file, believed to have been leaked by a whistleblower. An extract published read: "It was completely misleading to edit the clip in the way Panorama aired it. The fact that he did not explicitly exhort supporters to go down and fight at Capitol Hill was one of the reasons there were no federal charges for incitement to riot." Claims of Widespread Problems The report allegedly added that the former adviser had expressed worries about how BBC Arabic reported on the war in Gaza. The newspaper claimed the author asserted there were "institutional issues", which had not been addressed by top executives. He supposedly cited "stark differences" between the reporting of the hostilities on BBC Arabic and on the main BBC website. One issue highlighted was the frequent use of analysts who were antisemitic or pro-Hamas. Criticism of Transgender Issues Reporting The lengthy file is also said to have criticised the BBC's handling of transgender issues, stating the network had been "influenced by a small group of [staff] promoting the Stonewall view" of gender identity issues and that its LGBT desk would "decline to cover any stories raising difficult questions". It is reported to have alleged that stories raising challenging questions about transgender matters were suppressed, with a "steady stream of biased stories celebrating the trans experience without adequate fairness or impartiality". BBC Reply In answer, the BBC said: "Although we refrain from discussing disclosed papers, the BBC treats all input earnestly and reviews it thoroughly." "The former adviser is a former adviser to a board committee where differing views and opinions of our coverage are routinely discussed and debated.|The ex-consultant previously advised a panel where varied perspectives on our reporting are regularly examined and contested."