Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, and Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, have resigned following accusations of “serious and systemic” bias in coverage of issues including Donald Trump, Gaza and trans rights. The resignations come as the BBC prepares to apologise for the way it edited a Trump speech for Panorama.
Davie said his departure was “entirely my decision”, while insiders described a mood of dismay at Turness’s exit. “It feels like a coup,” one source said. “This is the result of a campaign by political enemies of the BBC.” The resignations mark a huge moment for the corporation as it heads into critical talks with the government over its future and funding.
The controversy stems from a letter by Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines committee, which criticised the editing of a Trump speech in Panorama. The edit spliced together clips from an address on 6 January 2021, suggesting Trump told the crowd: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.” The words were taken from sections almost an hour apart.
Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described the BBC as “100% fake news” and a “propaganda machine”, while Trump posted on Truth Social that “very dishonest people” had “tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election”. The BBC chairman, Samir Shah, is also expected to apologise for the editing.
In a note to staff, Davie said he had retained the “unswerving and unanimous support” of the BBC’s board, but added: “The current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision. There have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility.” The Prescott letter also condemned BBC Arabic for using contributors who had expressed antisemitic views.
