London, November 9: BBC Director-General Tim Davie on Sunday announced his resignation following a major controversy surrounding the editing of a Panorama documentary on U.S. President Donald Trump.
Davie, along with Deborah Turness, the broadcaster’s head of news, stepped down after the Panorama programme was accused of misleading viewers by altering the context of a speech delivered by President Trump. The BBC confirmed that the editing had sparked widespread criticism and raised serious questions about the broadcaster’s editorial integrity.
The controversy began after The Telegraph reported that Panorama had spliced together two separate portions of Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech, allegedly making it appear as though he had explicitly incited the Capitol Hill riots. The newspaper also cited a leaked internal BBC memo acknowledging the error and indicated that the broadcaster was preparing to issue an official apology.
According to the report, BBC Chairman Samir Shah is expected to write to the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee early next week, expressing regret over the editorial lapse and confirming that an apology letter will be submitted to Parliament.
Statements from Davie and Turness
In a statement to BBC staff, Davie said,
“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 deeply grateful to the Chair and Board for their unwavering support throughout my tenure, including during recent days. While the BBC continues to deliver strong results, mistakes have been made, and as Director-General, I must take ultimate responsibility.”
Turness, who also announced her resignation as CEO of BBC News, acknowledged the damage the controversy had inflicted on the broadcaster’s reputation.
“The ongoing fallout from the Panorama programme on President Trump has reached a stage where it is causing harm to the BBC – an institution that I love. The buck stops with me,” she said, adding that she had tendered her resignation to Davie on Saturday.
White House Reaction
The White House responded pointedly to the BBC’s internal crisis. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media late Sunday, sharing two contrasting headlines with the caption “Shot: Chaser:”.
The first headline, from The Telegraph, read “Trump Goes to War With ‘Fake News’ BBC”, while the second, from the BBC’s own homepage, declared “Tim Davie Resigns as BBC Director-General Over Trump Documentary Edit.”
Leavitt’s post, widely shared online, highlighted the perceived irony of the BBC once dismissing Trump’s criticisms of “fake news” — only to later face backlash for misleadingly editing his remarks.
The unfolding episode has reignited debate over media bias, accountability, and journalistic ethics within one of the world’s most respected public broadcasters.
.png)
The opinions posted here do not belong to 🔰www.indiansdaily.com. The author is solely responsible for the opinions.
As per the IT policy of the Central Government, insults against an individual, community, religion or country, defamatory and inflammatory remarks, obscene and vulgar language are punishable offenses. Legal action will be taken for such expressions of opinion.