BBC Director-General Tim Davie has announced his resignation after 20 years with the broadcaster, as mounting pressure surrounds the organization over a misleading Panorama report about Donald Trump. Davie stated in a message to BBC staff that he is working with the board to ensure an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months.
The departure follows a controversy over a Panorama episode shown a week before the 2024 presidential election. The programme spliced together two parts of a Trump speech from January 6, 2021, creating the impression his words incited the Capitol attack. BBC Chairman Samir Shah is set to concede in a letter to MPs on Monday that viewers were "unintentionally" misled by the editing.
Pressure from Washington
The White House has expressed anger, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the BBC "100% fake news". BBC insiders told The i newspaper that Davie faces pressure to issue a personal apology to Trump. One source warned: «If Trump launches a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the BBC, as he has with US networks, that would be disastrous.»
The controversy is particularly damaging as the BBC positions itself as an impartial alternative to partisan US networks. Adding to the embarrassment, Davie sits on the BBC's Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee, which had been presented with concerns about the Trump edit months earlier but took no action.
Broader editorial concerns
The Trump edit is not an isolated issue. A leaked dossier compiled by former BBC editorial adviser Michael Prescott cited multiple problems, including anti-Israel bias in BBC Arabic's Gaza coverage and reluctance to tackle transgender issues. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described the allegations on BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show as «very serious allegations» and said the government is «treating this with the seriousness that that demands».
Former BBC One Controller Peter Fincham told the TV Insiders podcast the editing was «a massive own goal» that could lead to «big scalps at the BBC». He questioned how editors could approve a sequence that made Trump «look like he's inciting his supporters to go to the Capitol and commit violence, when he honestly didn't».
In his statement to BBC staff, Davie reflected on «the very intense personal and professional demands of managing this role over many years in these febrile times». He acknowledged: «While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision.» Chairman Shah praised Davie as «an outstanding director-general» who has «propelled the BBC forward with determination, single-mindedness and foresight» during his five years in the role.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
