BBC Director-General Resigns Following Backlash Over Editing of Trump’s Speech
- Tim Davie has resigned as BBC Director-General following backlash over a Panorama documentary that misrepresented Donald Trump’s Capitol speech
- The controversy, which also led to the departure of BBC News chief Deborah Turness, sparked political criticism and claims of editorial bias
- Pressure mounted after a leaked memo and accusations of anti-Israel bias in BBC Arabic intensified scrutiny of the broadcaster
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The Director-General of the BBC, Tim Davie, has resigned following mounting criticism over the editing of a speech by US President Donald Trump in a Panorama documentary.
The controversy, which erupted over claims that the broadcaster misrepresented Trump’s words from 6 January 2021, has led to a crisis at the heart of the UK’s public broadcaster.
Source: Getty Images
Davie’s resignation, announced on November 9 alongside that of BBC News chief Deborah Turness, marked the end of a week of intense scrutiny.
The pair stepped down after accusations that the BBC edited Trump’s speech to make it appear as though he incited the Capitol riots that followed his 2020 election defeat.
Davie said he took “ultimate responsibility” for the editorial missteps and described his decision to leave after five years as “entirely my decision”.
“I have been reflecting on the very intense personal and professional demands of managing this role over many years in these febrile times, combined with the fact that I want to give a successor time to help shape the charter plans they will be delivering,” he said.
Panorama edit under fire
The Panorama documentary, aired shortly before the 2024 US election, spliced together segments of Trump’s 2021 speech. The edit included the line: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.” Critics argued that the programme omitted a key part of the speech in which Trump called for peaceful protest, thereby presenting a misleading narrative.
Turness acknowledged the damage caused by the controversy, saying: “As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me.” She added that the issue “has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I love”.
Political pressure and bias accusations
The resignations came after UK Culture, Media and Sport Minister Lisa Nandy described the allegations as “incredibly serious”. She claimed there was a “systemic bias in the way that difficult issues are reported at the BBC”.
Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from London, noted that the BBC has long faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. “It is pilloried by the right, who perceive it to be a hotbed of liberal bias. It’s pilloried by the left, who think that it kowtows to the establishment and pumps out government lines when it comes to things like Gaza, particularly, not holding the powerful to account as it should do as a broadcaster,” he said.
BBC Arabic under scrutiny
The row intensified after The Daily Telegraph published a memo by Michael Prescott, a former member of the BBC’s editorial standards committee. The document raised concerns not only about the Trump edit but also about alleged anti-Israel bias in the BBC’s Arabic service.
On Saturday, Conservative MP Priti Patel called for the UK Foreign Office to review its funding of BBC Arabic, accusing the service of “pro-Hamas and anti-Israel bias”. Meanwhile, the BBC has also faced internal criticism for allegedly favouring Israel in its coverage of the war on Gaza.
Farage hails Davie’s departure
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, welcomed Davie’s resignation. “This is the BBC’s last chance. If they don’t get this right there will be vast numbers of people refusing to pay the licence fee,” he said on X.
The backlash has also crossed the Atlantic, with Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt branding the BBC “100 percent fake news” and a “propaganda machine”.
As the BBC faces growing pressure to restore trust, the search for new leadership begins amid calls for reform and greater editorial accountability.
Source: Getty Images
BBC rejects resignation letter of its Hausa Editor
Legit.ng earlier reported that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has rejected the resignation of its Hausa service editor, Aliyu Abdullahi Tanko. This action came three months after the BBC had suspended him over allegations of workplace harassment by some former staff.
Tanko, who was reportedly suspended on Wednesday, August 27, tendered a resignation letter on Thursday, August 28, but was rejected by the organisation.
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Source: Legit.ng
