BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness resigned after Panorama was accused of misleadingly editing a Donald Trump speech in a documentary.

BBC Director General Tim Davie on Sunday announced his resignation following a row over the editing of a Panorama documentary on US President Donald Trump.

Davie and the broadcaster’s head of news, Deborah Turness, stepped down after the Panorama programme was accused of misleading viewers by editing a segment of Trump’s speech, the BBC said.

The controversy centred on claims that the editing altered the meaning of the President’s remarks, prompting widespread criticism of the broadcaster’s editorial judgment.

The British broadcaster was facing allegations of bias against Donald Trump after British newspaper The Telegraph in a report suggested that BBC Panorama misled viewers by editing a speech by US President Donald Trump.

The newspaper also published details and external of a leaked internal BBC memo which suggested the programme edited and put together two parts of Trump’s speech together which made it appear like he explicitly encouraged the Capitol Hill riots of January 6, 2021.

The Telegraph also reported that the BBC is preparing to issue an apology for misleadingly editing US President Donald Trump’s January 6 speech.

According to the report, BBC Chairman Samir Shah will write to the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Monday to express regret over how the Panorama documentary spliced together parts of Trump’s remarks.

The apology letter is expected early next week.

Davie, Turness Respond

“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. Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as Director-General I have to take ultimate responsibility," Davie said.

Deborah Turness, who has resigned as CEO of BBC News, said “the ongoing controversy around the Panorama on President Trump has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I love".

“The buck stops with me," she said and added that she offered her resignation to Tim Davie on Saturday.

White House Reacts

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt weighed in on the BBC controversy with a pointed post late Sunday.

Sharing screenshots of two headlines, she wrote simply: “Shot: Chaser:"

Leavitt’s post appeared to highlight the irony of the broadcaster once dismissing Trump’s criticism of “fake news," only to later face backlash for editing his January 6 speech. Her use of the “Shot–Chaser" meme is a popular internet format for pointing out contradiction or poetic justice.

About the Author

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...Read More

Follow News18 on Google. Join the fun, play QIK games on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!

First Published:

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to ourTerms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Loading comments...