BBC bosses resign over Trump documentary scandal
What's the story
Tim Davie, the Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has announced his resignation. His departure comes in the wake of a controversy surrounding a Panorama documentary that was accused of misleadingly editing a speech by US President Donald Trump. The edited footage made it seem like he was inciting people to attack the US Capitol. Alongside Davie, Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, has also exited.
Resignation details
Mistakes have been made, says Davie
In emails to staff, BBC reported, both Davie and Turness admitted that mistakes had been made. "While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision," Davie said in his resignation statement. He added that although the BBC is delivering well overall, some mistakes have been made for which he has to take ultimate responsibility as director general.
Documentary dispute
Controversy over 'Panorama' documentary's alleged misleading edits
The controversy erupted over a Panorama documentary titled Trump: A Second Chance?, which aired just a week before the US presidential election. An internal BBC memo obtained by The Telegraph claimed that the one-hour documentary had edited Trump's speech to make it seem like he was explicitly encouraging the Capitol Hill riot in January 2021. This alteration reportedly left viewers questioning the credibility of BBC News. Separately, the memo raised concerns about "systemic problems" in BBC Arabic's Israel-Gaza war coverage.
Institutional reaction
Internal resistance to breach of standards claim added fuel
The memo, written by ex-independent external adviser to BBC's editorial standards panel, Michael Prescott, suggested that managers refused to accept there had been an ethical breach when the issue was raised with them. Trump had said, "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women." But, the edit showed: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol...I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."
Institutional reaction
Both executives have been part of BBC for long time
The two portions of the speech that were merged together in the documentary were 50 minutes apart. Davie became the director general of the BBC in September 2020, and was responsible for overseeing the "corporation's services" and serving as "its editorial, operational and creative leader." Turness had been the CEO of BBC News since 2022.