BBC Director General Tim Davie and the broadcaster's head of news, Deborah Turness, have resigned after a row over a Panorama documentary accused of misleading viewers by editing a speech by US President Donald Trump.
The controversy has raised allegations of bias and let BBC to prepare an apology for the same.
Allegations Against the Panorama Documentary
The dispute arose after a report by The Telegraph stated that the Panorama programmed had combined two separate parts of Trump's January 6, 2021 speech in a way that appeared to suggest he explicitly encouraged the Capitol Hill riots.
The newspaper also cited a leaked internal BBC memo, reportedly written by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the broadcaster's editorial standards committee, which described how the edits altered the meaning of Trump's remarks.
According to The Telegraph, BBC Chairman Samir Shah is expected to write to Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee to express regret over the incident. The letter of apology is likely to be issued early next week.
Davie and Turness Step Down
Announcing his departure after two decades at the corporation, Davie said his decision was personal but acknowledged that “mistakes have been made” and that, as Director General, he must take “ultimate responsibility.”
Turness, who served as CEO of BBC News, said the ongoing controversy had begun to harm the organisation. “The buck stops with me,” she said, adding that she offered her resignation to Davie on Saturday.
White House Responds
The White House weighed in through Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who posted a viral “Shot–Chaser” meme on social media. Have a look at her post here:
The first headline, from The Telegraph, read, “Trump Goes to War With ‘Fake News’ BBC,” while the second, from the BBC’s own site, stated, “Tim Davie Resigns as BBC Director General Over Trump Documentary Edit.”
