BBC Director General Tim Davie and News Director Deborah Turness are resigning following a controversial Trump documentary.
The BBC is facing a severe storm after the revelation of an internal memo that criticized the portrayal of President Donald Trump’s speech ahead of the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riot.
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On Sunday, the BBC’s top executives announced their resignations.
“Mistakes have been made, and as Director General, I must take ultimate responsibility,” said BBC chief Tim Davie.
Trump himself also commented on this on Sunday evening Norwegian time, on Truth Social.
“The TOPS at the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS himself, are quitting or have been fired because they were caught ‘manipulating’ my very good (PERFECT!) January 6th speech. Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these corrupt ‘journalists’.”
Cut Down 50-Minute Speech
The scandal exploded when The Telegraph published details from a 19-page internal report by Michael Prescott, a former independent external advisor to the BBC.
He served on the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines Committee but left the role in the summer.
The report criticizes the editing of Trump’s speech, which NRK reported on last Wednesday, as well as the coverage of the Gaza war and practices in the gender debate.
Prescott points to the January 6th speech where Trump actually said: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”
In the edited clip used in the BBC documentary, it says: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we’re fighting. We fight like hell.”
What appears to be a continuous statement was actually taken from different parts of the speech. The words were spoken over 50 minutes apart.
The comment “fight like hell” was taken from a part where President Trump was talking about how “corrupt” American elections were.
Tim Davie’s Resignation Statement
“I wanted to inform you that I have decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. This is entirely my own decision, and I am immensely grateful to the Chair and the Board for their unwavering and unanimous support throughout my time here – including in recent days.
I am now working with the Board on the precise timeline to ensure a smooth transition to my successor over the coming months.
I have reflected on the immensely demanding personal and professional aspects of leading this role for many years, especially in this heated time, combined with the desire to give my successor time to contribute to shaping the new charter plans they are to implement.
In an increasingly polarized time, the BBC is of unique value and represents the best of us. It helps make the UK a special country – characterized by kindness, tolerance, and curiosity. Like all public institutions, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent, and accountable. While not the sole reason, the current debate around BBC News has naturally contributed to my decision.
Overall, the BBC is performing well, but mistakes have been made, and as Director General, I must take ultimate responsibility.”
VG’s Editor-in-Chief, Gard Steiro, says he is not surprised that the case had major consequences.
“They have made a mistake that is apt to weaken trust in the British public broadcaster. But in this case, it’s also about how this mistake has been handled,” he said.
Several media leaders commented on the resignation:
Steiro believes that this case will weaken trust, not only in the BBC but in journalism in general, and will be used to criticize media for unbalanced coverage going forward.
“It is a fact that many media outlets receive criticism for biased coverage of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Much of that criticism is unfounded, but this case gives the critics ammunition,” said Steiro.
Internal Memo Was Leaked
BBC whistleblower Prescott also mentioned another clip he found problematic: The footage of marching demonstrators after Trump’s speech made it seem like they were following his call to action.
However, the footage of demonstrators waving flags originated from before the speech was delivered.
Prescott wrote to the BBC Board that he shared the memo in “despair over the lack of action from BBC management when issues are uncovered.”
He also pointed to a number of other biases, including in the BBC Arabic service’s coverage of the war in Gaza, as well as “censorship” in the coverage of the trans debate carried out by the channel’s own LGBTQ+ reporters.
Several Reacted Strongly
The hour-long Panorama program was titled “Trump: A Second Chance?”.
The leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, was unforgiving in her criticism of the editing.
“Absolutely shocking. It’s fake news when you put things together to portray something differently than it actually was. I believe heads should roll,” said Badenoch.
