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Donald Trump's official spokesperson has characterized the BBC as "completely fake news" and a "propaganda machine" in a blunt interview. This comes allegations of partiality at the broadcaster.

White House Official Criticizes BBC Reporting

Karoline Leavitt, a high-ranking representative in the Trump administration, remarked that viewing BBC bulletins during visits to the UK "ruins" her day. She asserted that the public are "compelled to foot the bill for a leftist propaganda machine."

Controversy Over Altered Speech

The spokesperson's comments emerged after MPs said the broadcaster had "serious questions to answer" regarding how a public address by the American leader was modified in a BBC Panorama documentary.

A report leaked to a publication indicated that an episode of the news programme "completely misled" viewers by combining two parts of the speech together.

The broadcast depicted the leader saying he would march with his followers to the Capitol ahead of the disturbances on 6 January 2021, urging them to "fight like hell". Nevertheless, it omitted a section of the speech where he advised the crowd "to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard".

“This purposefully dishonest, selectively edited clip by the BBC is further evidence that they are total, 100% fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom.”

The press secretary added: "Whenever I journey to the United Kingdom with President Trump and am obliged 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 Document Emphasizes Production Problems

The publication reported its coverage was based on a note authored by a former adviser to the BBC's content standards committee. The adviser left his position recently and has not spoken on the file, understood to have been leaked by a insider.

A passage 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."

Allegations of Widespread Issues

The report allegedly added that the former adviser had expressed concerns about how BBC Arabic reported on the war in Gaza.

The outlet said the author alleged there were "institutional issues", which had not been addressed by senior management. He supposedly cited "stark differences" between the reporting of the war on BBC Arabic and on the main BBC website.

One issue pointed out was the frequent use of analysts who were antisemitic or supportive of the militant group.

Censure of Transgender Issues Reporting

The lengthy dossier is also reported to have criticised the BBC's coverage of gender identity matters, stating the broadcaster had been "captured by a small group of [staff] promoting the Stonewall view" of gender identity issues and that its LGBT desk would "refuse to cover any stories raising difficult questions".

It is said to have alleged that stories posing complex questions about transgender matters were suppressed, with a "constant drip-feed of one-sided stories promoting the trans experience without adequate fairness or objectivity".

BBC Reply

In response, the BBC said: "While we don’t comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully."

"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."