President Donald Trump thanked The Telegraph in a Truth Social post on Sunday for “exposing these Corrupt ‘Journalists'” after BBC director-general Tim Davie and CEO of BBC News, Deborah Turness, resigned from the network on Sunday.
Many have accused the BBC Panorama documentary Trump: A Second Chance? of being misleading after The Telegraph reported that two parts of a speech that Trump gave on January 6, 2021, were edited together so that the president appeared to encourage the U.S. Capitol riot.
“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,” Trump wrote on Sunday afternoon.
“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.
“On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!”
When reached by email for comment, the White House referred Newsweek to an X post from press secretary Karoline Leavitt that read: “@BBCNews is dying because they are anti-Trump Fake News.”
Why It Matters
Their resignation comes after the chair of the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media, and Sport Committee wrote BBC chair Samir Shah on November 4 about the coverage, editorial standards at the BBC, and what actions the network is taking to address the concerns.
Davie has been at the BBC for 20 years, serving as the director-general since 2020, and Turness has been at the outlet since 2022. The BBC has a wide viewership, reaching roughly 400 million people per week, with broadcasts in dozens of languages.
There have been other bias allegations aimed at the BBC, with the network facing complaints over its reporting on the war in Gaza and coverage of transgender issues.
President Donald Trump is seen at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Air Force One on November 9. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
What To Know
In a statement released by the BBC on behalf of Davie on Sunday, he noted, “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.”
The statement concluded with him taking responsibility for what he called “mistakes” in BBC’s coverage saying, “Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as Director-General I have to take ultimate responsibility.”
Turness said that she has “taken the difficult decision that it will no longer be my role to lead you in the collective vision that we all have: to pursue the truth with no agenda.”
She continued that “the ongoing controversy around the Panorama on President Trump has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC, an institution that I love.”
She concluded in her statement, “The buck stops with me.” She told BBC she offered her resignation on Saturday.
In Parliament’s letter to the BBC, it notes that the documentary had edited together clips of Trump’s speech outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6 to suggest that he told the crowd of his supporters to march to the Capitol and he will be alongside them fighting.
A Telegraph article earlier this month released a leaked internal memo suggesting the program splice two parts of Trump’s speech.
Trump: A Second Chance? aired in 2024 shortly ahead of the November 2024 presidential elections.
The incident drew swift reaction from both sides of the Atlantic. Leavitt condemned the BBC’s actions as “evidence of disinformation” and “100% fake news,” while officials in the United Kingdom acknowledged the seriousness of the breach.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for systemic reform at the BBC, writing on X on Sunday, “The new leadership must now deliver genuine reform of the culture of the BBC, top to bottom.”
The controversy reignites debate over the publicly funded broadcaster’s impartiality. The BBC is largely funded by an annual license fee paid by UK households, and its royal charter requires it to provide “duly accurate and impartial news.”
Critics now question whether the broadcaster is meeting those obligations, especially given its global reach and influence
What People Are Saying
BBC chair Samir Shah said on Sunday: “This is a sad day for the BBC,” later adding, “The whole Board respects the decision and the reasons for it.”
BBC News CEO Deborah Turness said: “While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.”
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom, Lisa Nandy, said in a series of X post on Sunday: “I want to thank Tim Davie for his service to public broadcasting over many years.
He has led the BBC through a period of significant change and helped the organisation to grip the challenges it has faced in recent years.
The BBC is one of our most important national institutions. Every day, it tells the story of who we are – the people, places and communities that make up life across the UK.
Now more than ever, the need for trusted news and high quality programming is essential to our democratic and cultural life, and our place in the world.”
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, told Deadline: “This is evidence of disinformation against the U.S. president. The BBC is fake news and unworthy of British audiences.”
What Happens Next?
Shah is expected to issue an official apology before the UK Parliament’s culture, media, and sport committee in response to the documentary’s editing controversy.
In the coming months, the BBC will begin selecting new leadership, with UK officials and the public watching closely for signs of substantive reforms regarding impartiality and accountability.
It is unclear if the president plans to take legal action against the BBC as he did against CBS and ABC.
(Newsweek)
