LONDON: BBC Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness have resigned after facing criticism over a Panorama documentary about Donald Trump. The programme was accused of editing Trump’s speech in a way that made it look like he was telling people to attack the US Capitol.
Deborah Turness, who had been BBC News CEO since 2022, said in her statement that the controversy had started to harm the BBC — an institution she deeply cares about. She said, “As CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, I am responsible, and I offered my resignation last night.” She added that while mistakes were made, claims that BBC News is politically biased are false.
Tim Davie did not directly mention the Panorama documentary in his statement. However, he said the ongoing debate around BBC News influenced his decision to step down. He noted that although the BBC was performing well overall, there had been errors, and as director general, he must take full responsibility.
Last week, the Telegraph published a report based on a leaked BBC memo written by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the broadcaster’s editorial standards committee. He said the Panorama team had edited Trump’s 6 January 2021 speech, cutting and joining parts that were actually 50 minutes apart.
In the real speech, Trump told supporters, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and cheer on our brave senators and congressmen.” But in the Panorama version, he appeared to say, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and we fight. We fight like hell.”
The memo warned that this “distortion” could make viewers question the BBC’s credibility. It also said that when the issue was raised, managers refused to admit any breach of standards.
The BBC has also faced criticism over several other issues in recent weeks.
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