BBC Director Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness have resigned from their posts with immediate effect. Both have resigned following the controversy surrounding the Panorama documentary that edited a speech by US President Donald Trump.
BBC Director Tim Davie said in a statement that, “Overall, the BBC is doing a good job, but some mistakes have been made. As Director General, I have ultimate responsibility for this.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump sharply criticized the BBC for broadcasting his edited speech in a post on TruthSocial. He wrote, “Top people at the BBC, including Tim Davie, are all quitting or being fired because they were caught doctoring my perfect speech of January 6, 2021. Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these corrupt journalists. These are very dishonest people who tried to interfere in the US presidential election. These people are from a country we consider our number one ally. This is a terrible incident for democracy.” White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt called the BBC “100% fake news” and a “leftist propaganda machine.”
In fact, Trump said in his speech in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021: “We will march to the Capitol and cheer on our brave senators, congressmen, and women.” However, the BBC’s edited version of Panorama presented it as “We will march to the Capitol… and I will be there with you. And we will fight. We will fight tooth and nail.” These two parts were actually spoken approximately 50 minutes apart in the original speech. After the internal memo became public, criticism of the BBC intensified, with even the White House calling the BBC “100% fake news.”
The memo, obtained by a leading newspaper, was prepared by Michael Prescott, a former BBC editorial standards adviser. He also accused BBC Arabic of anti-Israel bias in its Gaza war coverage and of suppressing difficult stories on transgender issues. In a message to staff after resigning as BBC Director, Tim Davie said, “This is entirely my personal decision. The Board has supported me throughout my tenure. The BBC is performing well, but some mistakes have been made, and as Director General, I must take responsibility for these.”
Deborah Turness, Chief Executive of BBC News Operations, issued a statement saying that mistakes were made, but allegations of institutional bias at BBC News are false. The Panorama scandal has damaged the organization, so I am resigning from my post. She was leading the BBC’s news operation since 2022 and was responsible for the content going into its premium show ‘Panorama’. The BBC said in a statement that the editorial practices of ‘Panorama’ and other current affairs programs will be reviewed to ensure impartiality.
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