BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness both resigned on Sunday [9th November], following criticism over an allegedly misleading Panorama edit of Donald Trump.
Davie’s resignation after five years as the head of the BBC follows ongoing claims of bias within the organisation, including from prominent political figures such as US President Donald Trump.
The resignations came after The Telegraph published details of a leaked internal BBC memo, which suggested segments of Trump’s January 2021 speech were deliberately edited together so as he appeared to encourage the Capitol riots.
What is the BBC accused of?
The BBC is accused of deliberately editing together footage of a speech Trump made on 6 January 2021, to show him appearing to encourage the Capitol riots.
In Trump’s original speech in Washington DC, he 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 Panorama programme, edited to include a segment of the speech that occurred 50 minutes after the original Capitol comments.
The Panorama editing meant Trump was shown saying: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
What were the Capitol riots?
On 6 January 2021, supporters of Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol Building after his defeat in the 2020 US Presidential Election.
Five people died during the riots, upwards of 174 police officers were injured, and upwards of 1,500 people faced criminal charges (including Trump himself).
The ‘self-coup’ was an attempt to halt Congress from completing a count of the Electoral College votes and formalise the victory of then President Elect Joe Briden.
At the time, Trump was accused of inciting violence via his speech, during which he told his supporters: “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore”
Who is former BBC director general Tim Davie?
Tim Davie has been director general of the BBC since September 2020. He has overseen several major events at the organisation, including the publishing of new guidelines for BBC employees on impartiality, which he has called one of the organisation’s “founding principles”.
In his resignation announcement, he said: “Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable.
“While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision.
“Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”
Who is former head of news Deborah Turness?
Deborah Turness has been the BBC’s CEO of News and Current Affairs since 2022, formerly serving as president of NBC News and editor of ITV News.
In a statement published on Sunday, she said: “In public life leaders need to be fully accountable, and that is why I am stepping down.
“While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.”
How has President Donald Trump reacted?
Trump responded to the news of Davie and Turness’ resignations via Truth Social, posting a lengthy statement: “The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught “doctoring” my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th.
“Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these Corrupt ‘Journalists.’ These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election.”
What happens now for the BBC?
This is not the first time the BBC has been accused of bias, but it is unprecedented for both the director general and head of news to resign on the same day.
The same internal memo that detailed concerns over the Panorama edit, also raised concerns over the BBC’s coverage of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. It claims the organisation’s coverage is affected by problems of “systematic bias”.
Finding a replacement director general will be a priority. Rumoured contenders include Jay Hunt (former BBC One controller and current creative director of Apple Europe), Alex Mahon (former CEO of Channel 4), and Kate Phillips (current chief content officer for the BBC).
However, the emotional toll of the head role has been noted by many at the organisation. BBC chairman Samir Shah has said: “This is not an easy job to fill, it really isn’t.
“And I have to be honest, the way we as a country attack people, really personally, is not good. Why would somebody want to do this job if that’s what they face? We’re asking a lot of a director general.”
In the aftermath of his resignation, Tim Davie has said his stepping down from the organisation will not be immediate, and he will ensure “an orderly transition” over the coming months.
Featured Image via Tim Brown, Flickr.
