BBC leadership resigns over misleading edits of Trump's speech
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
BBC Director General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness have resigned following a scandal over the network's handling of a speech by US President Donald Trump, BBC reports.
The Telegraph revealed that the Panorama documentary had misled viewers by editing Trump's speech, prompting the resignations.
According to an internal memo, the BBC combined two segments of Trump's remarks to create the impression that he openly encouraged and called for the storming of the US Congress (Capitol building) in 2021.
The memo was leaked by Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the broadcaster's editorial standards committee. He left the position in June.
On Sunday, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the issue with Panorama was "very serious" and that several "very serious allegations" had been made against the BBC.
"The most serious of which is that there is systemic bias in the way that difficult issues are reported at the BBC," she added.
What the BBC Director General said about his resignation
Tim Davie has already commented on his decision to step down.
"I wanted to let you know that I have decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the Chair and Board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days," he said.
He said he is working with the Board to finalize the exact timeline to ensure "an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months."
Davie noted that while the recent controversy was not the only reason for his resignation, the ongoing debate around the BBC influenced his decision. He also admitted that the broadcaster had made mistakes.
"Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as Director-General I have to take ultimate responsibility," he concluded.
Meanwhile, BBC Chair Samir Shah said it was a sad day for the broadcaster, but the entire Board respected Davie's decision and his reasons for stepping down.
Other incidents
In September, Disney's ABC network suspended Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show for an indefinite period, for roughly a week.
The decision followed controversy over the host’s comments about the suspected killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was known for supporting Republicans and Trump. After his killing, some critics claimed that Trump's administration was using the tragedy as a pretext to pressure opponents and the media.
