Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 2 days ago
BBC director general Tim Davie has resigned following criticism that a BBC Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing a speech by US president Donald Trump.

CEO of News Deborah Turness has also resigned, the broadcaster announced.

Mr Davie’s tenure, which began in September 2020, has been mired heavily on controversy and scandal, and ended following a tumultuous week which saw him come under heavy fire for alleged failings in impartiality.

“There have been some mistakes made and as Director-General I have to take ultimate responsibility,” Mr Davie said in a statement after his resignation. He said his decision to leave the broadcaster after 20 years of service was “entirely my decision”.

The corporation had been expected to apologise on Monday following concerns around impartiality after a speech by US President Donald Trump was edited in an episode of Panorama.

The clip within the programme Trump: A Second Chance?, broadcast by the BBC the week before last year’s US election, made it appear that Trump was urging supporters “fight like hell” in the US Capitol building.

It underlined concerns about impartiality within the broadcaster, which has been accused of bias by groups from across the political spectrum.

Category

🗞
News
Transcript
00:00And a lot of trust and impartiality in the perception of those things are based on what BBC presenters say and do.
00:10So do you think Gary Lineker broke the BBC rules with his post yesterday?
00:19When it comes to presenters, I'll just say that the BBC's reputation is held by everyone.
00:25And when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.
00:28And I think we absolutely need people to be exemplars of the BBC values and follow our social media policy. Simple as that.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment

Recommended